When Michael shared his feelings about this, it became clear to me that there was no consolation or platitude that would take away the distress he was feeling. He had somewhat of a tendency to focus on negatives, and ultimately he had no choice but to work through this. It didn't seem that there was much I could do to help, except offer support.
Then I remembered A Course in Miracles (a spiritual self-psychology program I studied many years ago). I used to ask for miracles all the time, and doing so always seemed to help. But what is a miracle, really?
Although miracles come in many shapes, sizes and definitions, the type of miracle I'm most enamored with is what the Course refers to as "a shift in perception." The reason this is so powerful is that no matter what's going on in our lives, our situation is either improved or worsened by our perception of it. For instance, even though Michael was upset about the upcoming transition in his life, the truth of the matter is that it could turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to him. It wasn't the objective situation that was a problem---it was the way he perceived it.
So I asked Michael if he'd be willing to go out on a limb and ask for a miracle. This threw him off a little initially (because he was so immersed in his struggle), but I explained that nobody knew what his new situation would bring. Maybe it would be better than he thought, or maybe it would be worse. He might make a lot of friends and love the new situation, or he might feel like an outsider and not care for it at all. No one could say, but what if he and I asked the Universe for a miracle, and then just waited to see what happened? It couldn't hurt, I reasoned.
Michael visited me first thing the next morning. Although he is not usually a morning person, he looked and sounded amazing. He was bubbly and animated, and he glowed. I asked him what had happened, and he told me that at 3:00 that morning he had awakened feeling totally alive and optimistic, like everything was exactly as it should be and there was nothing to be afraid of. He felt invincible!
Wowee! Even though I expected something good to come of our request, this actually blew me away. And the miraculous shift appears to have stuck. It's been several days now and Michael is still at peace with the upcoming changes. This, my friends, is a miracle.
The exciting thing about asking the Universe (or Higher Power, or God) for a miracle is that even though you expect something good might happen, you never know what form it will take (or what timing). It may be that something outside of you changes, or it might be that you change, but if you're willing for things to get better, they will.
This week, I invite you to ask for a miracle in some area of your life that could use a little help. Then sit back and notice what happens. Does the outer situation shift, or do you shift internally? Please share your miracles, past or present. I'd love to hear about them.
