“Many people say, “Who will show us better times?” Let your face smile on us, Lord. You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.”

Psalms 4:6-8 (NLT)

It was my third trip to Haiti and I had never had trouble with my bags. But this time it was lost. The panic set in at the airport when not only could I not communicate effectively at the baggage claim, but also that I was in a country where I couldn’t just go to Walmart to pick up a few things until my bags arrived. I was stuck with just the clothes on my back and at the mercy of the airlines and the mission. (I was a also stuck with a hard lesson to at least carry an extra pair of underwear and a toothbrush in my carry on).

Later that night, I was given the news that my bags wouldn’t be there until day after next. Not quite the news I was expecting, especially since the mission only keeps items that were left behind and most of those are donated to the community. So, I had to make the choice to make the best of it.

As I prayed for that miracle of somehow my bags just appearing on a random flight, God brought me another hard lesson – that he wasn’t my Mr. Fix-It. But He also brought me His promise of joy and peace – even through my dirty underwear, my stinky underarms, and my unbrushed teeth. He quickly reminded me of my mission, and that it didn’t depend on clean underwear, but rather His provision. And more importantly, as I pondered through the night, He was giving me a way to better recognize the everyday struggles of those who I was serving.

The people of Haiti often times don’t even have underwear. If they have a toothbrush, they don’t have clean water to use it with. And deodorant is the farthest from their minds! At least I had a cold shower, while many of the people in the village took their baths in the dirty aqueduct or river.

God showed me in those three days that those were actually the “better times” of my trips. Because in those hours of waiting for clean clothes, God brought me the greater joy of His splendor. He showed me His smile as I peacefully slept and humbly had to walk out the door with the same underwear I had worn for 3 days. And He showed me the miracle of His greater purpose when I took my eyes off of me and put them back on Him.

What I learned is that sometimes we expect God to be our Mr. Fix-it guy. We want Him to fix it so we can be more comfortable. But He wants to fix it in a way that will be more meaningful.

God promises to be with us in every circumstance. And in every circumstance, we can find joy! But we have be willing to see the miracles of the unseen blessings. They don’t always come as we expect. But we can expect that they will always come!

How can you find greater purpose in what you are experiencing today? Ask God to not just fix your problem, but to help you trust Him so that you can find greater meaning in the midst of it.

#SaturdaySoulSearch

“Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water’, so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” What Jesus did here in Cana was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.”

John 2:6-11

Miracles happen every day! But we are often far too busy to recognize them or far too calloused to realize their power. As Jon Bon Jovi says, if we change our perception though of what a miracle is, we’ll see them all around us.

I think when we think of miracles, we think of something big! We seem to bypass the small ones in search of the life changing whammy! But in reality, it’s the everyday miracles that build our faith and increase our confidence that God will do it again! And again. And again!

When Mary asked Jesus to help her friend who had run out of wine, I’m not sure if she knew just how He would respond. She was confident in His ability to help, but did it ever cross her mind that He would take something as plain as the water, and turn it into rich and flavorful wine? And not the watered-down kind either! Jesus saved the best for last! And it made a lasting impression.

Jesus is in the business of miracles. But it’s hard to see the possibilities until we receive the impossible. And I think the greatest impossible is the changing of our hearts. He doesn’t want us to just ask for miracles and signs, He wants us to believe in Him! And He wants our whole hearts so He can use our beliefs and experiences to help others see His glory. He wants us to leave His lasting impression on those we encounter every day.

God promises in Ezekiel (36:26) that He “will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you, removing your stony, stubborn heart with a tender, responsive one”. And in this miracle of changing water to wine, He proves His power of transforming the ordinary into something extraordinary!

Jesus loves to grab hold of our hearts. He loves to turn our challenges into blessings, our ashes into beauty, our trials into testimonies, and our bitter into better. He loves to turn His people from ordinary to extraordinary, infusing them with his rich and flavorful grace. His miracles of restoration, healing, and provision are greater and more prevalent than we can even imagine. He already does it everyday! So why not embrace it and grow in His grace through every little and every big occurrence. Be open to change – not only your heart, but your perception of who He is and what He is doing. If He can change water to wine, He can change the hardest of situations and the hardest of hearts.

Imagine what God can do in your life. Let this image of water to wine stir you into action to seek His miraculous transformation of your heart, your hurt, and your Spirit. Take what He gives you today and allow it to ferment! And remember, it gets better every day. So the best is yet to come! Are you ready?

#SaturdaySoulSearch