How do you define a miracle?
It seems like a simple enough question. But I’ve come to find that just about everyone has a different answer!
For example, here’s how Merriam-Webster defines a miracle: “An unusual or wonderful event that is believed to be caused by the power of God.”
Frederick Buechner puts it a little differently: “A miracle is when the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. A miracle is when one plus one equals a thousand.”
Then there’s one of my favorite miracle definitions of all time from Lemony Snicket’s The Lump of Coal: “Miracles are like pimples, because once you start looking for them you find more than you ever dreamed you’d see.”
My fellow miracle aficionados, Joan, Katie and Meb–miracle experts and authors of The Miracle Chase–view a miracle as “a sign of divine intervention in the world that creates an unfolding and beneficial connection between God and humankind.”
And my mom–my go-to source for wisdom!–has this definition: “It’s not just visions or lightning in the sky. It’s seeing God’s handiwork everywhere in your life.”
There’s really no correct definition, of course. Just like everyone has a different relationship with God, we each have our own understanding of miracles.
With that in mind, I thought it’d be fun–and illuminating–to collect definitions of the miraculous from you, the Guideposts family. That way we can see where we agree and disagree, and better understand God’s wonder.
Here’s my rough definition to get us started. A miracle is: God’s way of talking to us in ways both big and small. (Any act that involves God is inherently miraculous in my book, regardless of magnitude.)
Now it’s your turn. Share your definition of a miracle in the Comments below or on Facebook. I’ll feature the definitions in an upcoming blog post. Stay tuned!
