The Subtleties of the Supernatural

I made a mistake. I messed up.

I didn’t realize it at first, but then I did. And then I had to do what so often feels worse than making the error itself, I had to sit with it.

This is usually when the tsunami of self judgement and criticism come rushing in. Like a scene out of ‘A Christmas Tale’, in the late hours of night I am visited by the Spirit of Mistakes Past which takes me on a haunting, detailed tour of numerous other times I’ve missed the mark. I wake up from that fitful sleep ordained a failure and wear its heavy crown for days on end.

That is what usually happens. Yet in this recent ‘oops’ I noticed there was regret but no harsh commentary from my inner critics. There was no pulling out the bulging file of past failures, and I didn’t trudge through the day  weighted down with shame. There was disappointment, but no drama.

This, for me, is a miracle.

I’ve heard a miracle described as “a change in perception”. What I love about this definition is that it speaks to the simple, world-altering experience of seeing things differently. In my recent experience of  perceived failure (notice I now say ‘perceived’) I got to see that my error was an invitation to growth and evolution, not a sentence to guilt and condemnation.With this holy awareness I forgave and wrapped myself in compassion instead of contempt- again confirming the stealth-like nature of miracles.

I grew up sitting criss-cross applesauce on many a Sunday school carpet. I love hearing about the grand, miraculous moments of the parting of the Red Sea and the crumbling walls of Jericho. For a long time I expected all Divine interventions to happen for me in the same way. Unless its re-enactment required pyrotechnics and a stunt-double, I didn’t consider it a miracle.

But in reality I have experienced many miracles, too many to count. I often can’t see them. The subtlety of the supernatural throws me off its scent. While I am busy looking for fireworks, I am being offered healing and freedom.

Noticed or not, a miracle is still miraculous. I like to think my God is in the  business of miracles for the love of the work, not the praise. Of course I give thanks on the regular, yet my gratitude could never keep up with the outpour of Good. One of my favorite sayings is, “You shall find what you seek.” If you’ve been hoping and praying for a miracle, maybe it’s already arrived. I invite you to look for your miracles in the less obvious, peculiar corners of your everyday life. That’s where the magic tends to happen.






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Embracing Winter

It’s winter. As the cold days persist I hear a familiar conversation around me. “I know we need the rain, but I am so  over this weather.” I can appreciate the polite acknowledgement of our need to replenish water supplies which precedes the more honest protest of our current climate. And for all the bitter commentary, gloomy dispositions, and added layers of clothing, winter isn’t going anywhere. I’ve heard it said that life is simply a series of seasons. I remember attending a weekend training with a wise sage who reminded the group that in our Western culture we are not taught to honor seasons. He reminisced of Native American tribes who respect and even celebrate the ebb and flow of seasons. When we learn to sit a little deeper in the reality of what is, we can access greater wisdom and other resources in this moment- as uncomfortable as it may be. I am not required to like winter. In fact I am a self-professed “wimp” when it comes to the cold. So I bundle up a little more, su
Read more

The Vulnerability of Vulnerability

I appreciate how the topic of vulnerability has burst onto our cultural scene in recent years. Thanks to Brene Brown- and her famous TED talk with over 38 million hits and counting- for taking this subject from her research papers to our dinner table conversations. Brene refers to vulnerability as the birthplace of joy, belonging, creativity, authenticity, and love. I like to consider it as an anti-inflammatory for shame and unworthiness. While I am a champion for interweaving more vulnerability into our relationships and everyday life, to practice this principle is... well, vulnerable. It takes a lot of vulnerability to be vulnerable. I believe vulnerability is a practice- perhaps like a spiritual practice- exposing perceived darkness in order to gain more access to the light. To allow oneself to be known on a deeper, truer level is not a guaranteed feel-good moment. For all the evidence-based research and glowing testimonials, when I uncover myself more, it can feel like the bite o
Read more

The Power of Placement

I  recently heard about a social experiment where people were shown a string of letters and asked to put the spaces where they thought the spaces belonged. The group of letters looked like: GODISNOWHERE Some people placed the spaces to make out the sentence GOD IS NO WHERE while others organized the letters to read GOD IS NOW HERE This experiment reminds me of the power of perspective. I often forget that true power is not so much in the soup of letters life has put in front of me, it’s in how I arrange them. My dear mentor constantly reminds me to “look through appearances to the truth”- Truth with a capital T. When the fearful, anxious part of me wants to run around screaming “God is no where!!” like my hair is on fire, if I can quiet down just enough I can access the part that quietly knows “God is now here”- even in the midst of seeming chaos. Whatever a person’s beliefs, a switch up of letter spacing has transformational power. This power transcends even the most
Read more