Miracles

What a crazy couple of weeks it's been! Between Christmas shopping, wrapping gifts, opening gifts, traveling near and far, working, playing, catching up with friends, and a plethora of other activities, I feel completely exhausted! While I've been busy, I have loved every moment. I spent many late nights/early mornings talking with dear friends. I lost valuable hours of sleep but gained treasures that far surpassed rest.

During my last minute shopping trips to the mall, I noticed a book by A.J. Jacobs called The Year of Living Biblically. I won't get into too much detail, but Mr. Jacobs, who admits to being agnostic, a firm believer in evolution, and basically has had no use for religion of any sort in his life, decided to spend a year studying and living the Bible as literally as possible. I'm only on page 100, but thus far it has been rather humorous...you can only imagine with Old Testament laws that include not wearing clothing that mix wool and linen... I am anticipating the end...will his in-depth look at scripture change his views? Only time will tell, but today I was captured by a closing section that he wrote in the introduction:

"I...had breakfast with Rabbi Andy Bachman, a brilliant man who heads up one of Brooklyn's largest synagogues, Congregation Beth Elohim. He told me a midrash—a story or legend that is not in the Bible proper, but which deals with biblical events. This midrash is a bout the parting of the Red Sea...

We all think of the scene in The Ten Commandments movie with Charlton Heston, where Moses lifted up his rod, and the waters rolled back. But this midrash says that's not how it happened. Moses lifted up his rod, and the sea did not part. The Egyptians were closing in, and the sea wasn't moving. So a Hebrew named Nachson just walked into the water. He waded up to his ankles, then his knees, then his waist, then his shoulders. And right when water was about to get up to his nostrils, the sea parted.

The point is, sometimes miracles occur only when you jump in."

I was struck by this simple story. Are there miracles in my life waiting to happen if I will simply "jump in?"

I pray that as we close this busy Christmas season that you will take hope in this notion. May none of us be afraid to take the first step towards a miracle.