This morning I woke early and lay peacefully in bed as the light of a new day grew brighter. Shortly after 5:00 am, I heard the first note of the dawn chorus and listened as more voices joined in – finches, chickadees, doves, sparrows, and hungry baby swallows in the nest box at my window.

For several hours, I opened my mind and heart toward God and listened over a cup of hot tea. I mulled over a word He pressed into my mind about a week ago: simply. It struck me while watching a documentary about the life of Lilias Trotter who was a missionary in Algiers from 1888 to 1928. She was an extraordinarily gifted artist and writer with a deep sensitivity to the presence of God in the beauty of His created world. She emanated the simple faith of one who has known and walked with God through great joy and great suffering.

Jesus said to Jairus, whose daughter had died while he was trying to reach Him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Simply believe. Nothing more. Nothing less. And expect miracles.

Over the past week, this phrase has echoed off the walls of my mind – simply believe, simply be open to Me, simply let Me sing My life through your joy and your suffering. Simple faith is the mind stepping back and trusting its heart sight when nothing makes sense.

What bud lies enfolded in me but is restrained by my unbelief and complicated efforts? The thought is sobering yet beats with hope. When I simply believe and trust the Christ who lives in me, He begins to unfold one little possibility, and miracles begin to happen.