William G Borchert - 50 Quiet Miracles That Changed Lives

M ANY YEARS AGO as a young seminarian, I found myself kneeling amid the silence of a candlelit chapel as dawn approached asking myself, If God were really here, why dont I feel His presence?

Glancing around at the bowed heads of priests, nuns, and other seminarians, I became a bit envious, believing they had found some special connection to the Almighty that a sinner like myself could never find. Feeling spiritually inadequate, I left that religious life behind.

Still, I would often dream that perhaps someday I might witness a real miracle and my faith would come alive. I would then be as certain of Gods spiritual presence as I was of the physical world surrounding me.

The problem for me was that miracles had to be awesome events, always accompanied by claps of thunder as someone rose from the dead or a crippled child walked or someone riddled with cancer or AIDS was suddenly pronounced cured by a bunch of doctors standing around totally baffled and confused.

I had no idea that God is constantly performing quiet miracles every day in the lives of each and every one of us. If youre anything like I once was, then youre missing the soft whisper or quiet breeze while waiting for the thunderclap. Youre brushing aside these experiences as mere coincidences, when in truth, this is God doing something for us that we could not do for ourselves.

Quiet miracles come in all sizes, shapes, and forms. They can be unexpected phone calls, chance meetings, a much-needed bank check, or a missed plane reservation that would have ended in disaster. They can be small enough to simply produce a warm glow or dramatic enough to create awe and wonder. And if we allow ourselves to look beyond the glow and focus on the wonder, we will recognize that, at that moment, we are in the presence of God.

Thats what this book is all about: the stories of ordinary people experiencing out-of-the-ordinary encounters with something greater than themselves and coming to realize its their Higher Power pointing them in a new direction, bringing someone special into their lives, solving a seemingly hopeless situation, or bringing calm into the middle of a raging storm.

Perhaps one of the most remarkable miracles involved a drunken stockbroker named Bill Wilson as he lay in a sanatorium fearing insanity or death. He reached out and begged a God he had little faith in to help him. Suddenly he felt the presence of God as though the great clean wind of a mountain top blew through and through and peace in his soul. His desire to drink left him. Bill went on to cofound the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous, which continues to save millions of lives all around the world from the disease of alcoholism.

It is hoped that these stories of Gods miracles, big and small, may help to renew or reinforce your belief in a Power greater than yourself when you have been shaken by the worries and woes of the world around you. Perhaps they can provide tangible and meaningful evidence from the experiences of ordinary people that can help shore up the dikes of your faith so that you can begin to doubt less and hope more.

It has done that and more for all those who have shared their storiesanonymously but forthrightlyto make this book possible. I thank them for their great gifts.

1
God Calling

H E WAS EMBARRASSED , for some stupid reason, that his wife might see him on his knees praying, so Hank went into the bathroom and knelt down next to the commode. It wasnt an altogether unfamiliar position since less than three months ago his alcoholic drinking led him there quite frequently.

His Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor had been suggesting for some weeks now that the twenty-nine-year-old unemployed advertising executive start each day on his knees asking God to help keep him soberand then thank God each night for another day without a drink. This morning was the first time he was following that suggestion. It felt awkward and a bit hypocritical since Hank and his Higher Power had only recently become reacquainted in the rooms of AA, and he hardly knew what to say. Also, he didnt want his wife, Sandi, to catch him at it, so it was a quick Please, dear God, keep me sober today. Thanks. And then he hopped in the shower.

This wasnt the only big decision Hank had made this particular morning. He had been anxious and fearful about looking for another job since his reputation as a drunk was pretty well known in his industry, especially when someone would call one of his former employers. But with a wife and three children and a huge pile of debts, he had to find employment somewhere. So this was the day; with the help and urging of his sponsor, he had raised enough internal courage to finally go and start searching.

It turned out to be one of the most difficult days Hank had had since putting down the booze. Despite his highly recognized advertising skills and achievements, the problems his drinking had caused seemed to be the only thing people in the business remembered. He found a lot of doors closed in his facemost of them politely, but closed nevertheless.

Even his old drinking buddies who worked at various ad agencies around town were unwilling to lend a helping hand or put in a good word for him. He found them to be mostly fair weather friends now that he was no longer buying them scotch on the rocks. After a long day of rejection, Hank was ready to head for home and then to his local AA meeting.

There was a tasty-looking chocolate layer cake on the kitchen table when he entered the house. It was just what the doctor ordereda nice big slice with a glob of vanilla ice cream to soothe the nerves and take away that familiar craving he was beginning to feel deep inside. Sandi walked in just as Hank had the cake knife in his hand and was ready to serve himself. She stopped him, saying rather huffilyor at least it seemed that way in the mood he was inthat she had baked the cake for her Al-Anon meeting that night and didnt want it cut.