For the Spirit God gave us…gives us power, love and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 NIV

Ever needed a miracle like… now? My son called to say his wedding, postponed the previous summer, would take place in one month. Anticipating the first wedding date, I’d bought a dress that fit perfectly.

I hung up the phone and dropped my head into my hands.

How would I ever lose the fifteen pounds gained since summer?

I began working out and counting every calorie. Holding my stomach in, I got into the dress without bursting any seams.

Maybe another day without food and I’d look just right.

However, when time neared for the big event, a vision flashed before my eyes of the groom’s mother waddling down the aisle in a beautiful, lavender dress with bulges everywhere — around her waist, around her hips, and around her thighs.

I dashed to the mall in search of the perfect slimming garment and spotted a sign boldly proclaiming Miracle Suits. I snatched that garment from the rack and practically danced my way into the fitting room. I pulled, tugged, and stuffed myself into the suit. My now-bulging eyes told me I was enhanced, slenderized, and shaped as the label claimed.

So I bought the suit, returned home, and removed my purchase from the bag. My family stopped what they were doing as their mouths fell open. They agreed I could not wear that suit of armor under my elegant dress. I realized the only thing slenderized was my brain.

Sanity returned to my panicked mind and I returned that miracle suit to the mall. The day of the wedding, I put on my dress and found that those huge bulges I’d imagined existed only in my panic mode.

Later, I was able to laugh about the suit of armor I’d almost worn to my son’s wedding, but I also realized that many times I react the same way in a perceived crisis. I take the problem to God in prayer and then rush out to try to fix it myself.

I’ve learned with a little discipline — physical, mental and spiritual, and putting on the armor of God daily — I don’t get myself into situations where I have to struggle with pleading to God for a miracle.

Are you in need of a miracle today? Trust God and watch him come through for you.

Susan Shelton Dollyhigh is a freelance writer and columnist who recently won the Women of Faith Shine the Light Contest and 3 awards at the Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference. She resides in Mount Airy, NC. www.inspirationfrommayberry.com.

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