Miracle number two...this one's a doozy!

Now back to the 1970s. I was a teenager, old enough that Kim wasn't on the bus with me but young enough that I wasn't driving - how's that for a guess? I get off the bus, begin to walk in the house, and I see what looks like blood spots all over the sidewalk, on the porch, leading into the house. It wasn't huge amounts of blood, but enough to make me curious. I open the door, holler for mom - who was always there waiting with a snack or something great to eat - no response. I see blood on the kitchen floor and begin to worry. I walk slowly down the hall to my parents' room, quietly trying not to panic. I holler again to see if anyone is home, in the basement, anywhere....no response. I walk into the bathroom, and there in the bathtub in a few inches of blood-stained water were my father's coveralls, stained with blood. I process this quickly, that something very bad has happened, but not bad enough that my practical mother did not stop to draw the water so that his overalls weren't ruined:)

Not the smartest move, but after looking everywhere for a note and finding none, I call my grandma, my dad's mother, who lived up the hill from us. I describe what I've found, and she knows nothing. Now two people are panicked. I sit down to wait and to pray and to worry. The phone rings, and it's mom. They are at the hospital - dad has had "a little accident." Now, as I said before, growing up on a farm, there's an accident just waiting right around the corner. Dad cut mom's finger off one day while sharpening the mowing sickle, that long piece of machinery that has the triangular-shaped razor pieces that lays flat along the ground while you're cutting the hay.

Dad was sharpening each piece by hand, mom "assisting," and she sees a blade of grass sticking in between one of the pieces and the next - whatever possessed her, who knows, but she reached down to pluck that blade of grass out of harm's way right at the time he jerked the next razor into place for sharpening. There flew half of her finger into the air. My mother has a phobia with blood, but she was sharp enough to grab her finger up, run inside, put it into a plastic bag of ice, clean herself up, get into the car to be taken to the emergency room, and promptly passes out! Never ever say that Patty Vannest cannot accomplish it all!

I know, side-tracked. Back to the phone call. Mom says dad has had a "little accident," and she'll explain it all when they get home - he's fine. When they arrive home, I realize that the "little accident" occurred while he was about 30 feet high on a ladder, holding a chainsaw above his head and cutting off roof joists. The chainsaw kicked back, cutting his head open, sliced right though his eyebrow. Picture this: Skinny ladder, man on ladder holding chainsaw above head with one hand, ladder with the other hand - chainsaw kicks back and slices your head open - what are the chances you can keep it together enough to not even drop the chainsaw, not lose your balance or slip over backwards with the weight of the saw, get yourself down with blood pouring into your eyes? Only by the grace of God did he not lose his sight, not lose his life, not break his back, not, not, not.....

As I've reminisced on this miracle this week, God has begun asking me questions, questions I want to ask you to consider with me. Why does He do miracles? What is their purpose? God performs in the supernatural so that we give Him the glory. He gives us miracles to show us that he cares about the small and the large details of our lives. He gives us miracles to get our attention, wake us up. He gives us miracles to teach us a lesson. He gives us miracles because he just plain loves us.

Those roof joists that dad was cutting off, they were just an overhang out of a metal roof on the shed, probably had been hanging there for a good while. I'm betting as he and mom sat on the porch, they just couldn't take the sight of those joists sticking out anymore and decided it was time to get rid of this baggage. I'm wondering - do you have roof joists in your life that used to be a support for something, were there for a purpose, but now they're an eyesore and need to go? Could it be a relationship with someone, a habit you need to kick, a lack of faith and disbelief that needs trimmed out of your life? Are you surrounded by people who are negative or do not believe in God, perhaps even curse His name? Is that where you're supposed to be? Have you been putting off making a life change for a long time that you know God wants you to make? It's time to trim things back, get them in line for that miracle God has waiting for you!

If you begin to go all out for God, you begin to cut out and off things in your life, expect that kick-back - it will come! Satan does not like it when God's people get on the move and get out of their rut - but you CAN do it! Now is the time! Make those decisions to this year that you seek God's heart like never before and praise His name wherever you go.

P.S. Check dad's eyebrow out next time you see him! Another reminder of God's grace, right there on his face:)