I woke up in the morning and the first thing that came to mind was coffee. For the past few days, I have woken up with something different on my mind. A couple of days ago, it was a road trip that my spirit told me to cancel due to poor weather; yesterday, it was coffee. It was strange because although I knew I was going to get coffee with a friend in the afternoon, the thought was specific and linked to writing. I felt that the next post would be about coffee but it made no sense because why would I write about that? I went about my day, totally forgetting about this idea. Fast forward to a few hours later and I am standing next to my friend in a coffee shop trying to figure out what slice of pastry to get, when she points out a large poster on the wall which read, “Expect a Miracle Today.”

On my way home from the coffee shop, my spirit told me to stop and get some food for someone else. In obedience, I found myself queueing outside a Bagel shop nearby. I suddenly remembered that I did not have any cash on me, just a card, which I knew would not be accepted at the Bagel shop. I was about to leave the queue when my spirit, again, spoke to me and told me to stay. The queue kept getting shorter and shorter as the minutes passed and soon enough, it was my turn to be allowed into the shop. I felt slightly ridiculous for still being on the queue because I had no cash on me, so I decided to leave. There was an older man behind me who asked “Where are you going,” to which I responded, “I have no cash on me and they don’t accept cards.” The man quickly said that I should buy anything I wanted, he would pay. I continued to walk away telling him that I could not accept his money and he moved to stand in front of me, blocking my path. “Please stay,” he said, “You’ve been standing here for while.” “It’s too cold for you to go somewhere else,” his wife chipped in. I made my way back to the queue and while I thanked them for their kindness, the older man began repeating the words, “This is God. Thank God. God is good. This is God.” I thanked him again when we got into the shop and he repeated the same words. On my way home, I began reflecting on everything that had happened: the poster at the coffee shop, the things my spirit told me to do that made little sense, and the fact that the man did not just say “No problem,” or “Don’t mention it,” but “This is God.” Had a miracle happened? 

Growing up in Nigeria, “crossing over” into the New Year at church was nonnegotiable for my family. I remember the prayers that the priest would say in the last few minutes of the year; “This coming year would be your year of miracles,” to which the entire congregation would shout a resounding Amen. Year in, year out, the declarations would be the same, as well as the loud hopeful responses from the audience. Deep down, I wondered if all the miracles that the priest had prophesied for the people had happened, and if they had not, why they were back at church the next year still shouting with so much joy. Now that I have found my personal relationship with God, I see things differently. At the time, I thought that miracles meant more grand things such as getting a job promotion unexpectedly or welcoming a child after many years of waiting. While these wonderful things are miracles, so are the seemingly little things like someone paying for my cup of coffee when I was so sure that I would get to the front of the line and be turned away. I now see that the people in my church that 12-year old me did not understand what they were shouting for, had every reason to be joyful because life itself is a miracle. I now see because God has opened my eyes so that I see His hand in my everyday life, and He has opened my heart to understand that even when I don’t see it, He’s working. Recently, someone asked what the biggest indicator of my spiritual life is currently and I said that I now see God in every and anything. Her response was “Beautiful, may the enlightenment never cease.” I pray the same for you. That God may open your eyes and heart so that you see and feel the wonders of His love everyday, and more importantly, that the enlightenment will never cease. 

QUOTES 

Jesus looked her in the eye. “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”-John 11:40.

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”-Einstein 

Jesus once again addressed them: “I am the world’s Light. No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live in.”-John 8:12