Miles In Missions

A Million Little Miracles: Rediscovering Wonder in Everyday Life

We tend to think of miracles as exceptions to the rules. They are, indeed, the extraordinary events that defy the laws of nature. But as Mark Batterson reminded me in A Million Little Miracles, the laws of nature themselves are profoundly miraculous. G.K. Chesterton once said, “We should always endeavor to wonder at the permanent thing, not the mere exception.” He urged us to be startled by the sun, not just the eclipse. After all, as Chesterton observed, “God is like the sun. You cannot look at it, but without it, you cannot look at anything.”

The Miraculous in the Mundane

There’s a fine line between the mundane and the miraculous. If you see the miraculous as mundane, life becomes a bore. But if you learn to discern the miraculous in the mundane, welcome to Wonderland! Batterson challenges us to maintain a “holy curiosity” about the Creator and His creation. He reminds us that “nothing is as simple as it seems; everything is more miraculous than we can imagine.”

Have you ever experienced a miracle? Batterson argues that you have—you’ve simply stopped noticing. “There are only two ways to live your life,” said Einstein: “One, as if nothing is a miracle. The other, as if everything is.” Which way are you living?

Too often, we stop noticing the sunrise and sunset as something spectacular. We become numb to the simple pleasures of life. We lose our childlike sense of wonder. Batterson’s words serve as a wake-up call: miracles are happening all around us, all the time. Even the breath you just took is a miracle—a truth that resonates deeply for me, especially as I think of my uncle Kelvin, currently in the hospital on oxygen, struggling for every breath. The ability to breathe freely is something we should never take for granted.

A Divine Wake-Up Call

Batterson reflects on the story of Abraham and Sarah, who spent 20 years enduring frustration and heartache. God had promised to make Abraham into a great nation, but Sarah couldn’t get pregnant. By the time Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90, the promise seemed impossible. But God.

When God spoke to Abraham, He said, “Do not be afraid, Abraham. I am your shield, your very great reward.” Yet Abraham’s response reflected his negativity bias: “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me, since I remain childless?” Abraham’s fixation on what hadn’t happened blinded him to what God had already done. This tendency to focus on the unmet desires rather than the fulfilled blessings is a common human flaw.

So what does God do? He invites Abraham to take a two foot field trip outside his tent. Inside, Abraham was staring at an 8-foot ceiling, his perspective limited. But when he stepped outside, God told him to look up at the sky and count the stars if he could. “That’s how many descendants you will have,” God promised.

The difference between Abraham’s tent and the night sky was profound. Batterson draws a powerful lesson: “Quit putting an 8-foot ceiling on what God can do. Quit putting a man-made ceiling on His sovereignty.” It’s never too little, and it’s never too late. Sometimes, all it takes is a two-foot field trip outside—to look up and count the stars.

Rediscovering the Miraculous

Batterson’s A Million Little Miracles is an invitation to step outside ourselves and rediscover the wonder and miracles all around us. From the breath we take to the sunrise we’ve stopped noticing, every moment is an opportunity to marvel at God’s handiwork.

So, how do we discover the millions of mysteries and miracles hiding in plain sight? Start by recognizing life for what it is: a miracle from start to finish. Take a two-foot field trip outside. Look up. Count the stars. And never lose your childlike sense of wonder. As Batterson so beautifully reminds us, “Miracles are happening all around us, all the time.” Are you ready to see them?