By Kenneth Stepp
Do you believe in miracles? I have watched them play out for most of my life. I’ve entertained the idea that miracles happened to me in my past. I’ve lived a life that kept me on the serrated edge between life and death. In my past I’ve accepted death more than a few times. It came with the choices I made.
Miracle: a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency.
The work of a divine agency. Is your mind asking what that means? Mine is. My history includes being a professional fighter, celebrity bodyguard, and a domestic contractor for the federal government. I’ve hunted people, protected people, fought people, and been in shootouts by myself. Did I experience miracles? My story gets more intense.
For over 8 years I’ve been single again. After 24 years with my wife, I found myself alone and swimming in a sea of singles. Nothing was like I remembered it. Relationships were all temporary and the distractions were many. It didn’t take long till I found myself at a crossroad. Do I become like my environment or do I look like the man my parents raised? That’s a tougher and more complicated decision than you might think.
In the end I knew I was still the man my father taught me to be and conforming to what I saw around me would never work for him or me. I had a friend who spoke about it once. He said it much better than I ever could. He came home after a tiring day at work and all he could think of was his hot tub on his back deck. He changed and hopped in. To his surprise it was cold. The plug had come loose. It dawned on him that unless he stayed plugged into God that he would become the temperature of his surroundings.
That brings me to my personal story. I was single for 7 years and 3 months. I met a girl. She was tired of the singles game too. We were married a year after we met. May 16th 2021 was our wedding day. She was so pure and so accepting of all of me. In short, she was amazing. On September 13th 2021 she died. It was devastating. Not a loss I wanted to live through. I wasn’t a drinker but decided I’d drink so I wouldn’t feel anymore.
I drank till my broken heart stopped beating. I died a total of three times. I spent 10 weeks in the hospital. They told me my liver no longer worked and I’d likely have heart damage. I’d also have to learn to walk again. They weren’t certain I would walk again at all. My roommate picked me up and brought me home. A walker with wheels awaited me. And no, I wasn’t going anywhere without it. My future uncertain, I began physical therapy. In no time I retired the walker. I was determined to survive. I inherited stubbornness from my dad. He had no quit in him and neither did I.
I came home two days before Christmas 2021. Since then I’ve had a battery of tests on every part of my body inside and out. My tests look like nothing ever happened to me. My doctor was dumbfounded. He can’t figure me out at all. Through most of my life I trained and took care of myself. My genetics are from Vikings and I’ve been a warrior my entire life. Even with all that going for me, I have to say, Go God. I have received a miracle. No one will ever convince me otherwise.
And that my friends is the story of my miracle. Whether you believe it or not, that’s my take and I’m living proof. Or I’m proof enough for me. Does a miracle await you? I hope so. God loves us all equally, I don’t understand why I received one and some people I believe are far more worthy than me do not. I hope one day I’ll understand my story. Right now I’m just going to live my life with joy and through grace every day.
