Every day we are surrounded by miracles, but sometimes we don't see them. The more we look for God’s hand in our lives, the more likely we are to recognize it!
Here are six heart-warming stories that remind us that the Lord is intricately involved in our lives as He watches over us every day.
Bearing Burdens through Cancer Scarves
Everyday miracles often occur thanks to the people around us.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, "We each have a covenant responsibility to be sensitive to the needs of others and serve as the Savior did—to reach out, bless, and uplift those around us. . . . President Spencer W. Kimball taught this concept when he said: 'God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs.'"
Members of the Muroc California Ward show their support for a fellow ward member with cancer. Image courtesy of Kistie Adams.
The ladies in the Muroc California Ward took this to heart.
The women and girls in the Primary, Young Women, and Relief Society came together to support a sister in their ward going through cancer. This sister was enduring difficult chemotherapy treatments and was about to lose her hair, so the women in the ward came up with a way to ease her burden.
The first Sunday after the cancer-stricken sister lost all of her hair, the women in the ward had a special surprise waiting for her—they all came to church with their hair hidden by scarves to show their support. Their goal was to help this struggling sister feel less alone in her trial.
True ministering often means bearing one another’s burdens and can result in everyday miracles for all involved.
Finding Faith at a Seminary Bus Stop
Oftentimes, the miracles come after we have put in the work and have done all that we can do.
For one group of Latter-day Saint students in South Florida, their everyday miracle came in the form of a school bus stop.
In January, the bus arrival time and location changed for five students in an early morning seminary class. This new change meant they had to leave their seminary class 20 minutes early in order to rush to their bus stop in time to make it to their high school.
It was very difficult for the students to miss half of the class each day. The whole class felt the effects of the disruption. Plus, they missed the contribution of their classmates each day.
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After many prayers from the students and a concerted effort made by the seminary teacher and the parents to work with the school district transportation department, the students finally got their bus stop.
Seminary teacher Shauna Hostetler said that this was a powerful experience for her students because they have had “so many discussions about [how] ‘prayers and thoughts’ must be accompanied by our ‘work.’ [We have to do] all we can do in order for blessings and answers to come.”
A group of Latter-day Saint seminary students board the school bus outside their new bus stop. Images courtesy of Shauna Hostetler.
She said they had been praying for a solution and that the Lord answered their prayers in a "mighty" way.
“When I was getting discouraged about this situation, I actually thought out loud, ‘If miracles happen every day to other people, then why not for me or why not for these girls?’” she said. “Once I began to think that way, I knew I could pray for a solution and it would come. I just wasn’t sure how or when it would be.”
Not only do they have a new bus stop that picks them up right outside the church building, the new pick-up time allows the students to stay for the entire lesson. The entire class has benefited from this everyday miracle.
In her six years of teaching seminary at the building, Sister Hostetler says she has never known a school bus to pick up students at or even on the same street as the building.
“The Lord is aware of our needs and when we ask, the answers come,” she said. “We do our part and the Lord provides.”
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"Everyday Miracles" from LDS Living Readers
When we asked our online readers to share their everyday miracles, we received many inspiring messages reminding us that miracles are happening every day.
Here are just a few:
“One thing I have learned since starting the Come, Follow Me program is to look for miracles daily. I’m nothing special that God would bless me more; I was just watching for miracles more. Two months ago, someone asked me the 10 things I needed in my life weekly to make me happy. Out of my mouth came the words to 'hold babies!' After it came out, I beat myself up for saying it. Not because it didn’t make me incredibly happy, but none of my children are married or old enough to have kids—how would I ever get to hold babies weekly? Two weeks later I got an email from the YWCA asking me if I could come in and help with the battered women’s children and just hold them and play with them. What I thought was something ridiculous was heard. Heavenly Father cared enough to make it happen. Miracles happen to us all the time—some are apparent immediately; others take a while to connect the dots. One thing I have learned is to look for God’s hand in my life and it will be seen.” —melissaschaefer1 “I was down on my luck and my truck needed a part that had failed before. Previous fixes had cost $500+. I had about $200 to my name. I was in a convenience store consoling myself with a cold drink when a fellow (a stranger to me) stepped up beside me to fill his drink cup. He cheerily greeted me and asked how I was. I was so depressed that I actually told him my problem. He asked me about my truck and the part that I needed. When I told him, he responded that he had a truck that he was rebuilding that had that exact part in usable condition and he would be glad to sell it to me and install it for $150. I quickly agreed and managed to coax my suffering truck the mile to his place. Within a half an hour my truck was up and running. I gratefully paid him the money. I could now get to work. Sometimes angels have grease under their fingernails.” —John Coley
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“When I was recently divorced, I attended Stake Conference. On the stand was the most gorgeous display of red roses donated by our local florist. The thought crossed my mind, 'Well, I will never be receiving flowers again.' That afternoon as I was napping, there was a knock on my door. There stood a member of our Stake Presidency holding that bouquet of roses. He said, 'We thought you might like these.'" —barlounelson
“I was serving as a bishop and I had called a husband and wife into the office to say I could no longer help them with welfare. After saying a prayer to open our meeting, I opened my mouth and instead asked how I could help them more in the coming year. The Lord knew they needed the help and little did I know that in the coming year they both passed from this earth to the other side. I know our Heavenly Father knows us individually and will use the Spirit to direct us to help others!” —Roland Dearden
We would love to hear your everyday miracles! Click the picture below to add your comment or go to our Instagram page.
Lead image provided by Kistie Adams
