JUNE 24, 2026

  " There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."            -Albert Einstein

JOB 1-3

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,

and naked I will depart.^c

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;

may the name of the Lord be praised.”

22In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

ACTS 7:1-19

1Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?”

2To this he replied: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Harran. 3‘Leave your country and your people,’ God said, ‘and go to the land I will show you.’^a

JOURNAL 

Job loses nearly everything a person can lose, yet his response is not resentment, blame, or despair. Stephen stands before powerful men who are preparing to condemn him, yet he speaks with courage, clarity, and conviction. Neither man is defined by his circumstances. Instead, both reveal a deeper reality: peace does not come from what is happening around us. It comes from knowing who God is and trusting Him regardless of what is happening.

I think that is why Einstein's observation resonates with me. There really are two ways to live. One is to move through life assuming that everything is ordinary, predictable, and ultimately meaningless. The other is to recognize that every moment is infused with purpose and possibility. Not because life is always easy, but because God is always present.

Too often I find myself waiting for the big moment. The breakthrough. The accomplishment. The answer. The victory. I can easily fall into the trap of believing that significance exists somewhere in the future, just beyond the next goal or achievement. Yet Scripture consistently points in a different direction. God meets people in ordinary moments. He speaks during routine days. He shapes character in seasons that seem uneventful. He builds faith long before anyone notices.

Perhaps the greatest miracle is not found in dramatic interventions but in God's constant presence. The ability to endure hardship without losing hope. The strength to continue serving when recognition never comes. The courage to keep moving forward when the outcome remains uncertain. The capacity to love, forgive, build, and restore in a world that often encourages the opposite. These are miracles too.

I am beginning to see that wonder is not something I discover by changing my circumstances. It is something I experience by changing my perspective. When I slow down enough to pay attention, I realize that God is already at work. He is present in conversations, opportunities, challenges, relationships, and even interruptions. What often appears random may actually be part of a larger story unfolding around me.

This challenges me because I naturally gravitate toward outcomes. I want measurable progress. I want visible results. I want evidence that what I am doing matters. But God seems far more interested in faithfulness than outcomes. He invites me to focus on the work in front of me and trust Him with everything else.

Stephen was prepared for his defining moment because he had spent years faithfully walking with God before it arrived. Job was able to endure suffering because his faith was rooted in something deeper than comfort. Neither man's strength was created in a crisis. The crisis simply revealed what had already been built within them.

Maybe that is the invitation for today. To stop looking past the present moment in search of something more significant. To recognize that this day itself is sacred. This conversation. This opportunity. This challenge. This act of service. This moment to love someone well.

If God is writing a story through my life, then there are no meaningless chapters. Every page matters. Every scene has purpose. Every interaction becomes an opportunity to bring His power, love, and discipline into the world.

Today I want to live with my eyes open. I want to see God's hand in both the extraordinary and the ordinary. I want to approach this day with gratitude, curiosity, and expectation. Not because life is perfect, but because God is present. And wherever God is present, there is always something miraculous unfolding.

20When asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God will not come with observable signs. 21Nor will people say, ‘Look, here it is,’ or ‘There it is.’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst.” 

LUKE 17:20-21