“How Much Does a Miracle Cost?”

8/22/2017

I Was Thinking…

She made her way six blocks to that small town’s drug store (as they called it). She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention, but he was busy. Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. No attention. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No attention. Finally, she took a quarter from her jelly jar and banged it on the counter. That did it.

“And what do you want?” the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. “Can’t you see I’m talking to my brother whom I haven’t seen in ages?” “Well, I want to talk to you about my brother,” Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. “He’s really, really sick and I want to buy a miracle. His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing in his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?”

“We don’t sell miracles here, little girl. I’m sorry but I can’t help you,” the pharmacist replied, softening his tone slightly. But Tess was insistent, “Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn’t enough, I will get you the rest. Just tell me how much it cost.”

The pharmacist’s brother was a well-dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl, “What kind of miracle does your brother need?” “I don’t know,” Tess replied with her eyes welling up. “I just know he’s really sick and Mommy says he needs surgery. But my daddy can’t pay for it, so I want to use my money.” The pharmacist’s brother asked the precious little girl, “How much money do you have?” She replied, “One dollar and eleven cents. It’s all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to…I know I can.”

“Well, what a coincidence,” smiled the man. “A dollar and eleven cents is the exact price of a miracle for little brothers.” He took Tess’s money in one hand and with the other he grasped her mitten and said, “Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents.”

The pharmacist’s brother was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a neuro-surgeon. The surgery was accomplished at no cost to the family. And it wasn’t long until Andrew was home again and recuperating well.

Mom and dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place in their lives. “That surgery,” mom whispered, “was a real miracle! I wonder how much it would have cost.” Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle costs. It costs one dollar and eleven cents…plus the faith of a little child.

Some say our world needs a miracle these days. Maybe a ‘Tess kind of faith’ is exactly what we need. Remember…a miracle is not so much the suspension of a natural law as it is our involvement with a higher law. May you and I know the miracle of God’s love in this world and do all we can to spread that love wherever we go and with whomever we meet. When we do, miraculous ‘God-cidences’ will happen. I expect a miracle this week…how about you?

Always Thinking…