{"id":1749,"date":"2020-01-16T03:56:54","date_gmt":"2020-01-16T03:56:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awritersheart.com\/?p=1749"},"modified":"2020-01-16T03:56:54","modified_gmt":"2020-01-16T03:56:54","slug":"believe-in-miracles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carolhollandmarch.com\/index.php\/2020\/01\/16\/believe-in-miracles\/","title":{"rendered":"Believe in Miracles"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Do you believe in miracles?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sure<\/em>, you might say. I\u2019ve seen miracles. And I expect to see them again<\/em><\/p>\n

Or, There are no such things. Science has explanations for everything<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Actually, both perspectives are right. Miracles are prayers answered, hope fulfilled, stories of the seemingly impossible, inspirations that change lives, the melting of hardened hearts, personal transformation. But how do these things happen?<\/p>\n

Contrary to what our senses tell us, science informs us that everything is energy. The observer affects the observed. Our thoughts influence what we perceive, how we feel, and whether we are joyful or depressed.<\/p>\n

Mahatma Gandhi said, “A man is a product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.”<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Traditionally, a miracle is an event we don\u2019t expect and didn\u2019t foresee. It comes out of the blue, full of meaning, an object of wonder so marvelous it points to a reality beyond our reach. In a religious context, we can see this as God, the ground of being, or as manifestations of supernatural powers.<\/p>\n

What is miraculous in one culture may be ordinary in another.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the west, people interpret spontaneous recovery from serious illness as a miracle, and persons with unusual healing powers as miraculous beings. In some earth-based cultures, thunder and lightning are considered messengers of the divine, while recovery from serious afflictions is the result of energetic interventions by a shaman or spiritual healer. And perfectly ordinary<\/p>\n

Saint Augustine said, \u201cMiracles are not contrary to nature, only to what we know about nature.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Another view is that the miraculous shows itself in the everyday world\u2014in nature, in the love between people, in a child\u2019s smile.<\/p>\n

The miraculous may simply be something we do not yet understand. When we use the power of intention, affirmation, gratitude, or prayer, we are harnessing energy in the living field that connects us all. We do it to change our lives, which means we acknowledge our connectedness in the field of life. Nothing is really separate. If I love you, I love myself. If I hurt you, I hurt myself.<\/p>\n

When we understand this, we notice that our thoughts and words change our perception of reality. If we persevere with those new thoughts, our actual reality changes too.<\/p>\n

If I pray for healing for my friend, and my friend recovers from his illness, is that a miracle? Or the effect of intention on the web of consciousness that binds us together<\/p>\n

You decide, according to what you believe.<\/p>\n

For 101 stories of everyday miracles, check out the new anthology, Believe in Miracles<\/em>, by Chicken Soup for the Soul, available now for pre-order. My essay, Please Pass the Holy Water<\/em>, is one of the stories. I hope you enjoy it.<\/p>\n