God is at work in our everyday lives, and we experience small miracles daily. Are we taking the time to notice them? Or has what is “real” become “ordinary”?
Ask a child about reindeer, and they'll likely tell you about Rudolph's glowing nose or how Dasher and Dancer pull Santa's sleigh across the night sky. In Christmas stories and songs, reindeer are purely magical creatures—fantastical beings that defy the laws of nature.
But here's something wonderful: reindeer are real.
They're not just characters in holiday tales. They're actual animals that roam the Arctic tundra, living in some of the harshest environments on earth. And the truth about them is far more miraculous than any story we could invent.
This collision between the magical and the ordinary captures something profound about finding miracles in everyday life and about helping our children see God's hand in the world around them. We spend so much energy looking for the extraordinary that we miss the wonder already present in the ordinary.
Everyday Moments and Creation Are Miraculous
Here's what we often miss: reindeer are miraculous, even without the sleigh. Did you know the following facts about reindeer?
- These creatures survive in some of the harshest climates on earth.
- Their noses are specially designed to warm the frigid air before it reaches their lungs.
- Their hooves change with the seasons—softer in summer to navigate soggy tundra, harder and sharper in winter to break through ice.
- They can see ultraviolet light, allowing them to spot predators and food in the blinding Arctic snow.
We don't need to add magic to make them wondrous. They already are. And isn't that true of so much in our world?
The problem is that familiarity breeds indifference. We see the same faces, walk the same streets, perform the same routines—and somewhere along the way, we stop seeing. The extraordinary becomes invisible, hidden in plain sight.
If you described this animal to someone who had never heard of it, they might think you were making it up. It sounds like something from a fantasy novel. Yet reindeer are real, thriving across the Arctic tundra, doing miraculous things every single day.
The question is: When did "real" start meaning "ordinary"?
When Wonder Becomes Routine
As parents, we watch this happen. Your toddler is mesmerized by an ant carrying a crumb five times its size. By age ten, they step over ants without a second glance. Your preschooler stares in awe at the moon. Your teenager barely looks up from their phone when you point out a stunning sunset.
We're all guilty of it. We see the same sunrise every morning, and it becomes wallpaper. We witness seeds becoming flowers, seasons changing, birds flying, hearts beating—miracles happening constantly—and we categorize them as "normal."
But here's what we risk losing when we stop finding miracles in everyday life: We risk losing our awareness of God's presence. Because God isn't just present in the spectacular, burning-bush moments. He's present in the ordinary, in the rhythms and patterns He set in motion, in the world that keeps declaring His glory whether we're paying attention or not.
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge" (Psalm 19:1-2). Day after day. Night after night. Not once, but constantly. The problem isn't that creation has stopped speaking. The problem is that we've stopped listening.
Teaching Our Children about Finding Miracles in Everyday Life
The Bible is full of God revealing Himself through the ordinary things around us:
- He spoke to Moses through a bush.
- He fed Elijah through ravens.
- He used a teenage girl, a manger, and a feeding trough to enter our world.
- Jesus taught using seeds, coins, bread, and fish—the stuff of everyday life.
The message is clear: God is not distant or detached. He's intimately involved in the details of our lives, speaking through the everyday if we'll only pay attention.
Finding miracles in everyday life isn't about manufacturing false enthusiasm or pretending everything is perfect. It's about cultivating a posture of awareness and gratitude and recognizing that the same God who hung the stars also designed the reindeer's specialized nose, your child's laugh, the way your spouse takes their coffee, and the cardinal at your bird feeder.
As parents, one of our greatest privileges is teaching our children to notice—to really see—the goodness and wonder woven into the fabric of ordinary life. There are miracles we may forget in our daily lives that we can revel in:
- When we point out the complexity of a spiderweb glistening with morning dew, we're doing more than teaching biology. We're teaching them to pause, to observe, to marvel at the intricate design that points to an intentional Designer. And how amazing is God that he made spiders have spinnerets to create a balloon and attach lines of silk and create webs? How amazing is God that the Earth rotates, and we see the sun rise to hit the web just right?
- When we stop to watch a sunset and name the colors together—coral, lavender, gold—we're not just building vocabulary. We're teaching them that beauty matters, that it's worth stopping for, that Someone lovingly painted the sky for us to enjoy.
- When we talk about the friend who brought us dinner when we were sick, or the neighbor who shoveled our driveway, we're helping them see God's provision through human hands. We're training them to recognize that miracles aren't always dramatic and can often be found in small, everyday moments.
Recognizing Everyday Miracles: a Practice
Some days, this comes easily. Other days—when the laundry is piled high, the budget is tight, and someone is melting down over something incomprehensible—seeing miracles around us feels harder.
That's when we need to remember: this is a practice, not a feeling. We choose to look. We choose to notice. We choose to point out God's goodness to our children even when—especially when—we don't feel particularly grateful ourselves.
"Look at that bird. God made cardinals that exact shade of red."
"Feel how warm this blanket is. We're so blessed to be cozy and safe."
"Your brother shared his toy with you. That's what love looks like."
These small acts of noticing shape our children's worldview. They learn that God is present, that He cares about details, that His creation is worth celebrating, and that miracles aren't just found in storybooks—they're in the kitchen, the backyard, and yes, even in real reindeer.
This Christmas Season
This Christmas, as your children marvel at flying reindeer and glowing noses, take a moment to share the real wonder with them. Show them pictures of actual reindeer. Talk about where they live and how God equipped them to thrive in impossible places.
Then look around your own ordinary life and ask: Where else is God showing up? What other everyday miracles are we missing because we've stopped looking?
The answer might surprise you. The miracles are already there, waiting to be seen.
Interested in learning more facts about reindeer and other Christmas characters and stories? Sonlight’s Microlearning emails, sent year-round, are currently focusing on what we can learn from Christmas classics. Including a 5-minute podcast, a related, downloadable activity, book recommendations, and more, each email includes learning the whole family will enjoy.
