And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.
John 21:25 NKJV
Do you ever feel like your God story isn’t big enough or it seems a little lame compared to how He appears to be moving in someone else’s life? (FYI, the key dysfunctional word in that sentence is “compared.”) That happened to me yesterday.
I got in my car to run my errands and the “low tire pressure” light came on…again. Ugh! I had just visited my local tire shop about a week ago to get extra air in my left-rear tire. The return of this little light on my dashboard is notifying me of the extra stop and added inconvenience for my afternoon.
When I got to the shop, Joey came out and checked my tires and told me the left-rear was pretty low and recommended I have it looked at for the source of the leak.
“How long is it going to take and how much is it going to cost?” I replied.
“It will take about an hour. If we find something that can be fixed, we will fix it for free.” he said.
I should have been grateful right there. Instead, I began calculating how the hour was going to impact my afternoon plans; and dreading the thought of them finding something that they couldn’t fix for free. Since this was the second time in as many weeks it had been running low, I decided to bite the bullet and have them take a look. While handing over the keys, I said the popcorn prayer, “God, please take care of this,” with little thought and a tinge of dread.
About 35 minutes later, I received a text that my car was done. The gentleman behind the counter confirmed they had taken a nail out of the tire and handed me a receipt that listed the amount due as $0.00. What an exciting relief! I thanked God for answering my lame prayer.
As I was driving off, it dawned on me that my “little miracle” wasn’t just about finding a nail in my tire that could be fixed free of charge. God had been keeping me as I drove around town with this “disaster waiting to happen” for the past several days. My praise and thanksgiving grew with this insight.
My “nail in the tire escapade” was putting a smile on my face and reminding me of just how much God loves me…until I received the news my friend went by ambulance to the emergency room earlier that morning. God kept them and they were released! PRAISE GOD!
But on hearing their story, my nail in the tire seemed pretty lame. It was just a nail. In reality, nothing even happened to me. I mean I was able to drive my car to the tire store. I didn’t get stuck somewhere with a flat. I didn’t have to call AAA, get stranded on the side of the road, or even rearrange my plans.
It amazes me how quickly comparison caused me to minimize my miracle. Truth is, any encounter we have with the Creator of the Universe is a big deal. I love how the last verse in John’s Gospel tells us that there were many more stories of Jesus encounters that didn’t make the cut. But it isn’t because those stories are less important than the ones that did.
So let me ask you, what are the Jesus stories in your life? Are you afraid to share them because they may not seem “big enough?” Do you not even acknowledge them because they don’t seem holy enough?
I encourage you to spend some time thinking about when God showed up in your life. Write these stories down in a journal or on your computer. Don’t worry about your grammar or spelling. Just capture the miracles Jesus has done in your life. As you begin to meditate on His goodness, you can’t help but be encouraged. Your faith will be stirred. Your love for God will be strengthened.
Now that these stories are top of mind, God might even give you the opportunity to share your {small} miracle. You never know how the nail in your tire could encourage someone else to recognize God at work in their life as well!
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