Miracles

Miracles

From 2 Kings Chapter 5 through Not By Bread Alone:

So Naaman, an army commander apparently somewhat full of himself, has leprosy.  His wife’s servant, an Israelite, suggests that to be cured he go see the prophet Elisha, in Israel.  Namaan goes to his boss, the king of Aram, who sends Namaan on his way with an entourage, a lot of money, and a letter for the king of Israel.  The king of Israel balks at all this, but Elisha gets word of it and sends word for Namaan to come see him.  Namaan directs his entourage to Elisha’s place.  Elisha doesn’t bother to come out, but sends a servant to tell Namaan to “go wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.

This pisses off Namaan, who thinks that Elisha should have come out to see him, waved his hand over Namaan, and cured him on the spot — he wanted, felt he deserved, a spectacle.  Namaan’s servants (obviously, less full of themselves) urge Namaan to do as Elisha told him.  So after more grumbling he does, and “his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.”

A long but effective way to make a point.  A good lesson on how easy it is to want God to be present only in the WOW, not in the now.  A point perhaps best stated by Thomas Merton:

“The miracle is not to walk on water.  The miracle is to walk on the green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly alive.  Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eye of a child – our own two eyes.  All is a miracle.” 

And as the Not By Bread Alone piece concludes – “Find your miracle today.”