A TRUE MIRACLE PART TWO

A TRUE MIRACLE             PART TWO

Eileen Renders

As little Therese began to pray, she became suddenly aware of a bright light appearing in a small corner of her bedroom next to a small Closet. As she stared at the Light, she saw a figure appear there. He wore a white robe and stood about 2-3 feet above the ground, and both arms were extended toward her as she lay in her bed. His posture with arms extended toward her resembled what she had seen when a parent calls a toddler toward them as they attempt to take their first steps.

From holy books her mother and father owned, she recognized the figure as Jesus Christ. Therese felt that maybe His arms extended toward her, He was calling her to go to Him, and maybe leave her Home with Him? This frightened her, and she began to cry. As the tear ran down her red cheeks, the salt in her tears caused her cheeks, hot with fever, to feel a stinging. Theresa blinked and opened her eyes to find that she was once again alone.

She began to question herself, “Did that really happen?” “Did Jesus really visit her?” She sat there and realized she clearly recalled specific features about Jesus, and was sure that it had been Jesus. She was grateful she had not died, and He did not visit her to take her away from her mother and family. Within the next few minutes, Therese began to feel hungry for the first time in weeks. She wanted to go downstairs, but did not want to alarm her mother, as she had not eaten for a while and had been in bed for weeks. Therese realized that this was a very special visit, and she felt to share that right away was not what she wanted to do. She felt if she remained in her bed for an hour or so, maybe mom would just consider the idea that she was naturally just healing. Yet children usually do not have a good conception of time, and in the next ten minutes, she was out of bed and creeping down the staircase. She headed toward the kitchen, where she knew her mother would be. Her mother heard something and turned to see Therese heading toward her, and nearly dropped the pot she was holding in her hand. “What are you doing out of bed mom asked. Therese quietly replied, “I wanted to see if you had something I could eat.”

Therese sat at the kitchen table and felt that she had succeeded in keeping her special visit a secret, at least for a little while. Her confidence led her to quietly, but matter-of-factly, say things to her mom that she had just learned in meeting Jesus. She began, “Mom, did you know Jesus has brown eyes, not blue?” She declared this because everyone in the family had blue eyes. She continued, “Mom, did you know Jesus can speak to you with His eyes without saying anything?” Kathleen crossed the room and placed the back of her hand against Therese’s forehead, and found her forehead to be cool. “Your fever is gone,” she said. From that day forward, her huge hole in the left leg began to heal and close up very neatly. Little Therese had experienced the mercy of God. She received a miracle at six years old.

She grew and matured like other children; there was nothing remarkable about her. Whenever she became a teenager, and went with a friend to a Dance Hall at the School, mom teased her saying, “The one who saw God likes boys.” As she matured, there were a few times in her life when she heard someone say,” How can anyone actually know that there is a God?” Therese could not understand or accept this kind of thinking. She realized that she truly had been blessed. As years passed, and Therese became an adult, she married, worked, had children, and even lost one of her identical twin girls through a drowning accident.

Her memory of Christ, however, always felt as though it had just happened yesterday. His eyes were remarkable. As life slowed down and she began to focus more on Christ, she matured spiritually and longed to see Him again. She spent her free time being of service to others, and often kept close to her heart those words that Jesus spoke, such as, “Whatever you do for the least of My brethren, you do unto Me.”