Miss Becky's Blog

SMALL MIRACLES

I believe in MIRACLES and have felt the "love of God" in my life many times from the many "small miracles" that have been given to me and my family. The following is the Introduction to a book of the same name by Yitta Halberstam & Judith Leventhal, both of Jewish background. Althought, I'm a Christian, I believe we were all created by the same God and that He loves each of us, regardless of our religious beliefs, cultural background, race, country of origin, economic or educational status, and blesses our lives with "small miracles". After reading this article, can you identify any "small miracles" in your life?

SMALL MIRACLES . . .

Throughout our journey in life we encounter many teachers and signposts that lead us along our way. They whisper words of wisdom and encouragement to us as we struggle and yearn; they invite us into new spheres of Being and Existence. They let us know that we are not alone – that Spirit surrounds us always.

Chief among these signposts and teachers is none other than the phenomenon that some choose to call coincidence, but that we – the authors – recognize and firmly believe are nothing more and nothing less than “small miracles.”

And it is precisely at this moment in time that we need “small miracles” in our lives – now more than ever before.

Why is the identification of coincidences as “small miracles” crucial to our spiritual and personal growth?

When a person shrugs off a “coincidence” as merely a random event or pure happenstance, he is doing himself – and the universe – a grave disservice. He is failing to apprehend a divine moment that was gifted to him by God, a ripe and full moment that comes in the great flow of energy in which he is a spark. Had he recognized the coincidence for what it truly is – God’s gentle tap on the shoulder or God’s veritable shout: “Hello from Heaven!”. . . The opportunity for endless transformation and growth is lost when “coincidences” are perceived in pedestrian terms as simple “luck” or “chance.”

How much more fortunate is the individual possessing enough awareness to recognize coincidences for what they truly are – mysterious, magical, and awe-inspiring testimonials to God’s presence in our ordinary, everyday lives. This graced individual will most assuredly be filled with what we like to call “spiritual optimism.” She will believe that the events in her life have purpose, that the “coincidences” in her life have purpose and that – most important of all – her very life is hallowed by sacred purpose. She will see the holiness of day-to-day existence, the holiness of herself. And, in a world where negative forces threaten at times to submerge us, this is the greatest blessing of all.

Cultivating consciousness about the “coincidences” that come into our lives fills us with excitement and gratitude. We feel that we are truly God’s children and that He is with us, always ….

When you believe in coincidences, they pour into your life at an exhilarating, almost dizzying rate. When you require something from the universe, and you truly believe that the universe is responsive, then you most assuredly will receive its full bounty for the asking.

Here’s an example from the authors: “We had talked incessantly about approaching one of the most famous spiritual writers of our time to discuss Small Miracles. Since we were not personally acquainted with him, we faced a challenge. How to meet the man and humbly submit our request? We explored many avenues, and finally it was decided that Yitta would enroll in a one-night course that the ‘guru’ was giving. Surely at some time during the three-hour class there would be a window of opportunity that Yitta could seize to our advantage. However, a day before the course was scheduled, we were disappointed to learn that it had been canceled due to the teacher’s unexpected illness. Now what? It was a setback, but we were not discouraged. We both vibrated an intense need to meet this man.

“The very next week Judith flew to Washington, D.C., on book tour, sat in the airplane seat that had been ‘randomly’ assigned to her, and discovered . . . to her shock and delirious joy that her seatmate was none other than the spiritual guru we had resolved to meet! Not only did they engage in discussion during the entire plane ride, but after swapping personal biographies they discovered that they had lived in the exact same house in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, when Judith was a toddler and the spiritual leader was a college student, and that the spiritual leader’s parents had been Judith’s parents landlords many years ago!”

When we pray, we are speaking to God. When “coincidences” occur, it is God speaking to us. To be attuned to these moments is truly to be awake to the Divine that calls us every day.

But beyond providing us with testimonials to God’s presence in a spiritually barren landscape where there are few useful clues, “coincidences” also contain within themselves precious moral lessons and profound teachings.

When “coincidences” happen and we are aware of the messages we are being sent, a delicious sense of communion, of harmony with the universe, unfolds. We sense that everything is One, and that if we can only integrate these messages – these little bulletins from God – we can grow as moral and spiritual beings.

We are exhilarated when coincidences come into our lives, for we see them as blessings and gifts. Many people bemoan the lack of open, revealed miracles in the late twentieth century, maintaining that their absence makes the sustenance of faith that much harder. Seas don’t part; God doesn’t appear in a pillar of flame to talk with us . . . And it is true – the more grandiose, apocalyptic miracles of yesteryear do seem elusive. Nonetheless, we staunchly maintain that “small miracles” are everywhere, and that awareness of their existence can lead us to renewed faith.

“There are only two positions you can take,” Albert Einstein once said. “Either you believe that nothing in life is a miracle, or you believe that everything in life is a miracle.”

It is clear that the individual whose journey in life is more joyous, more meaningful, and more sublime, is the individual who subscribes to the second view.

An old story is told about a tough, weather-beaten, leather-skinned Alaskan nursing drink after drink in a bar in Anchorage. He tells the bartender that he has lost the faith he used to have in God.

‘I had a terrible accident in the Alaskan wilderness,’ he confides. ‘My twin-engine plane went down in the tundra, hundreds of miles away from civilization. I lay pinned in the wreckage for hours, believing that God would somehow help me. I cried out to God, I prayed with every ounce of strength I had left, I begged for rescue. But even as I started freezing to death, God didn’t lift a finger to help me and my faith in God is gone.’

The bartender squints at the Alaskan in puzzlement, ‘But I don’t understand,’ he protests. ‘You’re here, alive, telling me the story. Obviously you were saved.’

‘Oh, yeah, that’s right,’ concedes the Alaskan. ‘Because finally some Eskimo came along …’

Some people misidentify these experiences as pure coincidence, dismiss them as ‘happenstance,’ ‘random,’ or ‘just plain luck.’ But we say: There is no such thing as coincidence! There are no accidents! And these events are, in fact, nothing less than “small miracles,” awe-inspiring moments that should be celebrated, indeed consecrated, when they brush against us with their soft angel’s wings.

These miracles testify to the presence of a Higher Power in our seemingly ordinary lives; these miracles demonstrate the truth that we are all part of a larger organism and interconnected; these miracles illuminate how an invisible Hand is guiding us, gently prodding us toward our destiny. May you have eyes to see and ears to hear these “small miracles”.

And, of all the miracles that we are privileged to witness in our lifetime, there is no greater phenomenon than the all-powerful, transformative, and healing miracle of love. Love nourishes, comforts, strengthens, sustains. Love begets miracles.

Travel with us into the Light, as we bless and receive the joy that “small miracles” always bring.

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