March 23, 2017

A Treasure of Miracles


In this week’s spotlight I wish to consider a special anomaly, one that many people have experienced, one that challenges the materialistic view of life, and that is the nature of miracles. On Monday of this week I read a CNN story about an eight-year-old boy named J.T.  who claims an angel helped him lift a car from his father’s chest. CNN reported the story this way:

It happened last summer while Stephen Parker and his sons, J.T. and 17 year-old Mason, were working on a Toyota Prius at their home in Sugar City, Idaho, according to EastIdahoNews.com. Mason had gone inside after cutting his hand, and when Stephen went to adjust an axle, the car collapsed on him. J.T. was the only one around who could hear him.

Superhuman Strength

“I yelled to J.T. on the other side of the car, ‘Jack it up quick! Jack it up quick!'” Stephen recalled. “I couldn’t move at all. I was totally trapped, and then I passed out. It was all in his hands, and I thought, ‘This is it. There’s no way he can jack up this car because it took my 17-year-old son and I both to jack it up the first time.'” But that wasn’t going to stop J.T. from trying. After adjusting the car jack, J.T. began jumping up and down on the jack’s handle. And even though he only weighs 50 pounds, the car began to slowly rise off of his father.

After jacking the car up, J.T. ran to get Mason, who called 911. In the 911 call recording, Mason can be heard telling his father that he needs to keep breathing. “I know it hurts, but you gotta do it,” Mason urges. “Breathe! Breathe! Breathe!” “I can’t,” his father responds.

Stephen Parker was in critical condition when a helicopter flew him to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. He had 13 broken ribs, but no internal damage. Once they’d returned from the hospital, Stephen asked J.T. to try to jack up the car once more. But the boy didn’t have the superhuman strength anymore. When asked how he did it, J.T. responded, “Angels.”

Miracles

Just how common are miracles? The fact is, we often hear of miracles in the media. I well remember reflecting on the common occurrence of miracles in my book, What Does That Mean: Exploring Mind, Meaning and Miracles. Indeed, I well remember one night drifting off to sleep reflecting on unexplained events in my own life wondering, “What does that mean?”

The next morning as I dressed, I heard someone on the television in the next room saying, “It’s amazing. The window washer fell 500 feet, and he lived. That story and more, next.” I asked myself, What does that mean? What does it mean to the window washer?”

Meaning

The question, “What does that mean?” ultimately comes down to what does it mean to you? Some might insist that it was the adrenaline that made it possible for J.T. to lift the car from his father’s chest, and perhaps it was—but then, perhaps it was something else. I also remember a story shared with me one night during a radio interview. A small child was riding with his family on a rainy night when the car slid and went off the edge of a cliff, falling more than 100 feet to the bottom, and killing all the occupants. The small child did not go off the cliff and he was not injured. When law enforcement asked the boy how he got out of the speeding car, his answer, “A giant hand reached in and pulled me out.”

I think we often forget just how miraculous life itself is, and I know we tend to push out of our minds those things we cannot explain. I would urge you to watch for life’s little treasures, all the miracles, because when you do, you find them—and this enriches our lives.

As always, thanks for the read and I’d love your thoughts on this one.

Eldon Taylor

Eldon Taylor

Eldon Taylor
Provocative Enlightenment
NY Time Bestselling Author of Choices and Illusions
www.eldontaylor.com