MIRACLE FOR $1.11

"When the solution is simple, God is answering." - Albert Einstein 

Eight year old Tess overheard her parents talking about her little brother, Andrew. “Only a miracle can save him now.” They didn't have money for his operation.

Tess pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet, in her bedroom. She poured all the change out on the floor and counted it carefully three times. Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way to "Rexall’s Drug Store", 6 blocks away. She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention but he was too busy at the moment. After trying and failing to get his attention. She finally took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it! “And what do you want?” the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. “I’m talking to my brother from Chicago, I haven’t seen him in ages,” he said without waiting for a reply to his question. “Well, I want to talk to you about my brother,” Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. “He’s really, really sick… and I want to buy a miracle.” “I beg your pardon?” said the pharmacist. “His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?” “We don’t sell miracles here, little girl. I’m sorry but I can’t help you,” the pharmacist said, softening a little. “Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn’t enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs.”

The pharmacist’s brother was a well dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl, “What kind of a miracle does your brother need?” “I don’t know,” Tess replied, teary eyed. “I just know he’s really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy can’t pay for it, so I want to use my money.” “How much do you have?” asked the man from Chicago. “One dollar and eleven cents,” Tess answered barely audibly. “And it’s all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to. “Well, what a coincidence,” smiled the man. “A dollar and eleven cents – the exact price for a miracle for little brothers.” He took her money in one hand, grasped her mitten and said, “Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let’s see if I have the kind of miracle you need.”

That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neurosurgery. The operation was completed without charge and it wasn’t long until Andrew was home again and doing well. “That surgery,” her Mom whispered. “was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?” Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost…one dollar and eleven cents … plus the faith of a little child.

Sometimes all we need in life is to be ignorant about certain things; to not be knowledgeable about the way things worked. If Tess were an adult I bet she wouldn't have had the courage to do what she did to save her brother's life. We need to learn to "foolishly follow" our gut feelings sometimes, if we're to experience any significant change.

What miracle do you need today? The only thing it'll cost you is your faith in God, and your guts. Tess believed she should buy a miracle...you too can. Just believe.