The human body is a fragile combination of tissues and fibers interlocked in an intricate design. The human body, because of its fragile nature, is weak. There are thousands of ways for the human body to be destroyed. Whether by intent, accident, or purely by nature, the human can die easily. In an instant, all of the beauty, all of the intricate designs, all life can be lost. Everyday our bodies fight off the thousands of ways to die. Illness, people, animals, nature. It’s all fought off. Sometimes, our bodies can’t fight it off and tragedy strikes. Sometimes, we are only inches from death. Sometimes, we don’t know just how close we are to death. Miracles can happen. Miracles can keep us from dying even when we don’t know that we are about to die.

A few days ago, one of my best friends was rushed to the hospital. One day, she was perfectly fine. The next day, she woke up with a swollen face and a disease she did not even know she had. She was rushed to the hospital where they treated her. She had one of the worst cases the doctors had ever seen. She had a disease that started in her mouth and worked its way up to her brain. This disease finally worked its way in almost far enough for tragedy to strike.
A few years ago, my friend got a root canal. All seemed fine, but all was not fine. The dentist had missed something. My friend seemed to be perfectly fine. It was a standard root canal and she was sent home with the usual gauze in her mouth and her gums numb. She rested her mouth and the problem was gone. She went to school the next day, week, month, year. It wasn’t until a few days ago that the real problem became evident.
Rushed to the hospital, the doctors in the emergency room were forced to operate immediately. A few things were removed, some were connected, and soon the operation was done. The operation was successful and my friend made a full recovery. The doctors were surprised and so were my friend and her grandparents. News of her surgery did not reach school until the day after. A get well soon card was passed around, signed, and delivered. It was almost as though it was just a regular old surgery where nobody really thought much of it. There were worried and indifferent faces. “Oh I hope she feels okay soon!” was said. “Feel better!” was written all over the card. We were all relieved when we heard she was alright.
Tragedy can strike in an instant. Mackenzie is just fine, although in a bit of pain and probably very frightened. Not many people get to say they were in the same position. The most surprising thing, although, is a thing that about one in a million people get to say. Mackenzie was twenty-four hours from death. Twenty-four hours can be like a second. Mackenzie stared death right in the face. But Mackenzie wasn’t ready. Mackenzie stood up and held on. It wasn’t Mackenzie’s time yet. God saved Mackenzie. She wasn’t ready to die just yet, and she didn’t. The doctors performed a miracle on Mackenzie through God’s instructions. Miracles can keep us from dying even when we don’t know that we are about to die.