I always thought miracles would look more impressive: a crippled man leaping, someone walking on water, a check showing up in the mail the exact day it was needed.  I’ve always envisioned miracles as events that amaze doctors and defy scientific explanation.  This week we celebrate Easter, remembering the greatest miracle–Christ’s resurrection.

The miracle I saw the other day didn’t fit any of those categories.

That miracle is different, weighing in at 35 pounds, standing 30 inches tall, and sporting a smile that can melt the hardest heart.

Nika* is the daughter of one of the young women at Freedom Home.  Her mom came with a hard but typical story: sold by her own mom, trafficked to the streets of Moscow, abused and broken by a harsh world.  Nika and her mom came to the home after authorities found Nika on a sidewalk in Chisinau, playing next her drunk and passed-out mother.

The two of them came lost, broken, and written off by the world.  They were a “lost cause,” not worth much to anyone.

But God did not see Nika or her mom as irredeemable.  He saw them as miracles waiting to happen.  It has taken two years, but Nika and her mom are now totally new people.

Two weeks ago, we babysat this “miracle.”  While her mom attended a prayer retreat, Nika stayed with our family.  Her two-year-old curiosity and mischievousness is fun to watch.  Her smile is so endearing that we laugh as we say no.  Her love of life is infectious, and hugs are quickly given.

As I watched her getting into everything, I dawned on me that this girl is as much a miracle as Lazarus resurrection.  If not for the grace of God, her heart and spirit would be dead.  Those smiles of joy would never have life.  Nika’s very existence is a miracle.

I have never witnessed a lame man leap nor helped feed five thousand with a small boy’s lunch.  I have never observed anyone walk on water nor seen a dead man hop out of a tomb.  But I get to witness miracles every day.

I see Nika’s mom full of God’s Spirit rather than drunk on vodka.  I see Nika with eyes full of joy rather than fear.  I see a spiritual resurrection.

I see Easter every day.

Praying for plenty more miracles in Moldova,
Andy