Slow Miracles

Over thirty-two years ago, one of the first gifts my new wife and I received was a wonderful little contraption. We didn't have a microwave oven at the time. Either they weren't invented or they were just too expensive for us to have. So someone gave us this appliance called a Crock-Pot. It was neat because you put any conglomeration of stuff in it, and you plugged it in. All day long it would simmer and warm up every so slowly. If you came in at lunch, you couldn't eat it because it wasn't finished. It would take all day...up to 8 or 9 hours. Just slowly warming until all of the ingredients melded in such a way so that we could have a succulent meal that evening. The place would smell marvelous when we walked in the door. It was a true treat.
I've been thinking about what I call "slow miracles." Now that sounds like an oxymoron. If it's a miracle, it's instantaneous, right? I think we forget that time is not an object with God. "A day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day," the Bible says. But let me explain what I mean by a slow miracle.
Think about your life for just a moment. Think of yourself many, many years ago and the acquaintances you had then. Journey down through the years and remember those who have entered and departed from your life. Some may have left this eartly walk, but think of their influence. Think of the way you sense their presence even though they are gone. Think of the phone call that comes out of the blue. Remember the time you received a letter or an e-mail just when you needed it. This tapestry of your life has been wonderfully crafted by the Master into an intricate design called "Your Life." Friends have been there when the situation was dire or when the time merited a celebration. But your life has taken, well, a lifetime to unfold. Yet the fact that where you are in life is indeed a miracle of sorts, albeit a slow one. Ahh, that's what I'm saying. Slow miracles. You know it happens. Just admit it. And relish in it. And praise God for it. And realize in this Crock-Pot of life, God's still cooking, still working, still molding, still shaping. Have a great day.