What is a Miracle?
Two meanings for "miracle"
There are two common definitions of the word "miracle." Some people hold that a miracle is a rare and special event, an event that, without some divine or holy intervention, would be impossible.
Other people, though, look at it differently. We see miracles all around us. We see that every act of love, indeed, every motion of beauty and life, is a miracle.
So, for the first group, a drowning sailor rescued by a dolphin is a miracle. For the second group, that is a miracle, but so is every wave that breaks on the shore, with its beautiful music, and every glint of sunlight or moonlight on every wave that ever was.
Even though I talk of two groups of people, the reality is, of course there is a wide range of views. Hubber Denise Handlon muses on these perspectives in her wonderful hub Have You Ever Witnessed a Miracle?
Living in gratitude
When we see every natural thing, every person, and every act of love as a miracle, we live in gratitude. Gratitude is being grateful, and that means being full of greatness, full of wonder, all the time. And this greatness is actually humility, as well. For the miracles do not come from us, They are gifts to us. Even the work of our own hands is a gift that comes to us and flows through us.
Being grateful is for the spirit what breathing in is for the body. It gives the spirit life and energy, so that we feel light and graceful. Being graceful, we dance life, and it is easy to be generous and giving. And every gift of love - from a smile, to an act of comfort for a grieving friend, to an act of charity - is one more miracle for the world.
Being open to miracles
I don't mean to tell others how to live, or what to believe. But I will say that appreciating everything as a miracle has helped me relax and live in joy. And it makes it easy to do wonderful things for myself and others, and easy to stop doing not-so-wonderful things like wasting time or eating foods that are not good for me or getting mad and yelling.
I will not tell you that the other kind of miracles - special and rare and "impossible" events from a Divine Source are real. I experience them. But it is best if you make up your own mind about that.
I will say that, if you are open to receiving all life and love and beauty as miracles, it will place your mind in a state of being miracle-ready, so that more miracles - of any kind - happen around you and through you, and you are more likely to notice them.
Opening ourselves to miracles
Acts of love, and special, miraculous events, too, are very important in this suffering world. I do not deny the painful experiences of chronic illness, war, torture, slavery, and death. They are all around us, and I do not hide from them. Instead, I relate to them by seeing them as calls for Love, calls for miracles, and doing what I can do.
One thing I can do is to keep learning about, and teaching about, miracles. If this interests you, check out my Yahoo group and weekly discussion, LivingJoy: A Course in Miracles, LJACIM, at Groups.Yahoo.com.
