Do miracles still exist?

I preached about the miracles of Christmas this past Sunday, referring mostly to the idea that Mary said "yes" to all she was being asked to accept.

I talked about the miracles that still exist today: beginning with the fact that we have breath, that our bodies are miracles in themselves.

Today I read about another possible miracle, and I wanted my various readers to discuss among yourselves.

Here's the story: Tymona Matelborg and her husband escaped from their Hyundai Sonata with relatively minor injuries after a 100-foot diseased fir tree crushed the car while they were inside.

The Canby, Oregon couple had just parked when a nearby tree snapped off at its base and fell, leaving only a small opening for them to crawl out of the passenger window. "If you look at the passenger's compartment, especially the driver's compartment, there's about a space of about two loafs of bread in there. How the husband survived is just remarkable," said Troy Buzalsky, division chief with Canby Fire.

Based on the damage and size of the tree, rescuers expected possible fatalities, but the two survivors were treated for non-serious injuries at Oregon Health and Science University and later released. The Canby Fire and Rescue reported that the tree fell because of a combination of a diseased root system and saturated soil from days of heavy rain.

Miracle or not?

The fact is we have difficulty believing in miracles, until they happen to us. Then we write them off as, what, good luck?

Albert Einstein once said, "You can live one of two ways: You can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle."

I do both, depending upon the circumstances and the day. But I believe those with the peace of God, that completely surpasses all understanding and explanation, are more likely to live as if everything is a miracle.

We've been given life: miracle.
We've been connected to a family that loves us: miracle.
We've been given the opportunity to accept eternal life: Miracle. ETERNAL LIFE... did you actually get that?

How we live is a choice. To accept that the miraculous still occurs is a fabulous choice.

Paulo Coehlho said, "You can become blind by seeing each day as a similar one. Each day is a different one, each day brings a miracle of its own. It's just a matter of paying attention to this miracle.

A huge tree falls, burying a car and its occupants in a huge weight. They live. Miracle? Only if they see it as one.

Here's what I know: An unwed teenager was visited by an angel who told her she would become pregnant by the Holy Spirit and that the child would change the world. And she said "yes." The easy thing would have been to say no and go about living one of those safe, non-miraculous lives that we see every day. But despite the pain that she must have understood would come, she said "yes."

Trees fall every day. Our savior came once.