The Miracle of Simple Things

The Lord works miracles in us through the simple things in life. Just as He worked a miracle through Naaman (2 Kings) by having him do such an ordinary thing -to wash himself! - he works miracles in us in the daily, ordinary, even banal, things. Maybe washing dishes, making dinner, cleaning up, not talking back, being organized, forgiving people, not critizing, whatever that may be. Naaman expected Elisha, the prophet, to tell him to do something extraordinary. He  expected Elisha to touch him and then be miraculously healed.

When we come before God, when we ask for healing, for a miracle, for anything, sometimes we expect that same "out of body" experience that Naaman expected. We may think that we must do something extraordinary to experience or receive a miracle. But the healing of Naaman involves his own, and very simple, action. He must act to receive the healing, it's not a passive scenario where he lies down and Elisha does all the work to perform the miracle. By Naaman's decision to act, to do as he is told, God heals him. After reading this story we can be hopeful, because we know that God will ask us to do something that we can do.

Sometimes we don't realize that we do the extraordinary by doing the ordinary. It's not always easy to "just do the ordinary". We wash ourselves, we ask for forgiveness, we give up those things that are part of our daily lives to become better people. This is how some couples stay married for many years. It's not that they are experts in a special, obscure subject, but it's that they are good at the small things; at being grateful, patient, at forgiving and letting go, at listening, at sharing, at giving up things for the best of the relationship, at receiving and giving back, at taking care of each other one day at a time, and so many things that I have yet to learn about. The combination of many ordinary days of two ordinary lives become what we see as extraordinary: 20, 30, 40, 50 plus years of marriage. And that is how God makes something ordinary into the extraordinary.