Welcome to “Miracle Chase Takeover Week”! For every day of this week, the authors of The Miracle Chase – Joan, Katie and Meb – will be sharing their expert insight on all things miracles. You can ask them questions and get their opinion on the miracles in your own life by commenting below.
In today’s post, the Miracle Chasers dish out all the miracle basics…
Most of us use the word “miracle” loosely to describe everything from finding a parking place at the height of the holiday rush to a “Hail Mary” pass that wins the game. The word is in our lexicon.
But, what exactly is a miracle? This week we’re taking over the Lunch-Break Miracles blog to share with you some of what we’ve learned over the course of a 10-year quest to answer that very question.
Consider the Matryoshka dolls in the picture below: bright, colorful and mysterious. Inside each one is another one, at least five in all.
They are, like miracles, universally recognized, multi-layered and the closer you get to the inside, the more intriguing they become. If we were to look beyond the surface of miracles, here’s what we would find:
1. The word “miracle” comes from the Latin “mirari” meaning to wonder. Miracles evoke wonder in us – a “sudden surprise of the soul,” as Renee Descartes said. Wondering is at the beginning of every miracle story and as Socrates recognized, “Wonder is the beginning of wisdom…”
2. Nearly 80% of Americans believe in miracles (even more than believe in a traditional conception of God), a statistic that has remained steady or increased for generations.
3. Miracles are a part of every faith tradition and culture, east and west, from Hinduism to Native American and common story lines include walking on water, healing the sick and multiplying inanimate objects.
4. Miracles come in all shapes and sizes, from the eerie coincidence that affects one life to “thunderbolt” miracles that change the course of history.
5. Miracles continue to unfold long after the event has passed. There is a realization that something extraordinary has occurred; but that’s not the end of the story. Something has changed.
Whether eternally grateful for a second chance, awakened to a spiritual journey, or called to action, a miracle experience alters what might have been. It changes who we become.
Miracles give us hope, inspire us to be better and remind us to pay attention. In this sense they are a universal language we can all understand, a language that connects us to each other and God.
Now that we’ve covered what miracles are, tomorrow we’ll give you all the details on recognizing a miracle when it happens.
Got a question for our miracle experts? Ask away in the comments below!
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