Believing in miracles

Do you believe in miracles?

I do.

I like the definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. It defines a miracle as:

“Something very lucky or very good that happens, which you did not expect to happen or did not think was possible.”

In other words, when unseen or unexpected possibility becomes reality, you have a miracle.

Let me share a personal example.

When my dad developed a brain abscess in his 70s, we were told he wouldn’t survive. It was possible, but the doctors felt it was very unlikely.

He survived.

Then we were told he would never walk again. It was possible, but the doctors felt it was very unlikely.

He learned to walk again.

The next limitation we were presented with was that he would never drive again. It was possible, but the doctors felt it was very unlikely.

He passed his test and drove until he was 89.

All these feats were nothing short of miraculous.

It comes down to deciding whether you want to live in possibility or limitation? There is no right or wrong answer. You are simply making a choice.

Doctors, lawyers, and specialists will tell you what they believe is the best information and advice.

It’s important to listen to them, but you get to choose whether to accept it or believe something else is possible.

If you want more miracles in your life, don’t limit yourself by closing your mind to what’s possible, even if it isn’t probable.

Having faith when you are surrounded by sceptics isn’t easy. It takes a lot of strength.

We need more miracles right now. That’s why I felt moved to start a conversation about possibility. If you think it can happen, it might. If you don’t think it can happen, it probably won’t.

Few things in life are guaranteed. Even if the odds are in your favour, there is nothing to say you won’t beat or be beaten by that one in a million chance.

It’s up to you as to decide where you want to put your focus and energy. Do you want to dwell in possibility or limitation?

An exercise that I’d encourage you to do if you are interested in this topic is write a possibilities list.

Create a list of at least 100 things that you could have, do, or achieve if you wanted to.

You might find this more challenging than you expected. I know I did.

Before I started, I thought I could whip off 100 things without stopping to breathe. The first 30 or so were easy, but then I began to slow down. My mind started to get in my way.

I began thinking of it as a dream or desire list. That is different than writing down possibilities.

You don’t have to do anything that is on your list; you just need to believe you could if you wanted to. It took me a little while to grasp this idea.

I included owning a zoo on my list. I don’t want to own a zoo, but I’m sure I could make it happen if that was something I desperately desired.

The purpose of this exercise is to stretch your mind and expand your ability to find possibility in the most unlikely places. You don’t want to limit yourself to what you have previously experienced or what society tells you is possible.

I believe in miracles because I believe that anything that is possible can become reality.

I choose to embrace possibility, release limitation, and give thanks for every miracle I experience. That doesn’t mean every possibility will materialize, but I’m OK with that.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.