What is a miracle? If you stop and think about it, miracles are usually manifest in the midst of dire circumstances. In fact, you would not ask God for a miracle unless you or a loved one is facing a life and death situation, isn’t that right? A miracle is perceived to be instantaneous. In the Gospels we see Jesus pronouncing a person to be made whole, and “poof” an instant miracle. If Jesus did it then, and you believe that He has been and is doing it for millions of others today, then you might be thinking: “why not me?”
Let’s have a look at some Biblical miracles. The first one that comes to mind is how Moses, with his rod, performed the ten plagues. Yes, they were miracles. But with each one the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart more! Although the plagues were miraculous in nature, they were meant for a sign for Pharaoh and the Egyptians that the God of Israel was more powerful than their magicians. The real miracles were that while every person and beast in Egypt succumbed to the plagues, the Israelites in Goshen were completely spared each time!
God had His purpose for the Israelites. Why did there need to be ten plagues and why did Pharaoh have to be so hard-hearted? I can only surmise that it took the Israelites that long to get their faith level up high enough to believe that their God was about the deliver them. They had heard about how He had brought their forefathers to Egypt 400 years earlier. However, now they were in abject slavery and their faith must have been at an all-time low. (Exodus, chapters 7-12) By the time Pharaoh finally relented, they had marvelled at the sovereign Hand of God ten times. Now they were prepared for anything! They even were bold enough to ask for, and received, all the gold and riches from the Egyptians!
Did they suddenly get transported out of their misery and into the Promised Land? More often than not miracles are the culmination of a long process. In the case of the Israelites, they had to walk a long way and were followed by the army until there was no way out! With the army on one side and the Red Sea on the other, their orders were to keep walking! As they walked into the sea, Moses held up his rod, and the waters parted! (Ex. 14)
Are you waiting for a miracle that does not seem to come? Could it be that, although you think you have faith, you’re not really walking in faith? Are you sitting back and waiting for God to miraculously manifest Himself in your life? He could. However, no matter how bad the conditions surrounding you, He wants you to start walking! Walk in faith, expecting doors to open up before you, one at a time.
You won’t know how close you are to a major miraculous intervention in your life if you miss the hand of God in the little breakthroughs. Take every step in faith and thank Him for all the joys and benefits along the way. Then you’ll be well on the way to receiving your miracle. How do I know? I’m speaking from experience. He carried me, and helped me “mount up with wings as eagles (Isa. 40:31) through desperate situations. The more I learned to lean on Him with every trembling step, the greater my faith exploded inside me until suddenly trauma turned to triumph!
Yes, miracles really do happen. Expect them! Your purpose is to walk in faith with a heart full of joy and thanksgiving for all His wondrous works in your life. Miracles will be pursuing you! “He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him; and honour him.” (Ps. 91:15)
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/motivational-articles/walking-through-the-storm-towards-your-miracle-73607.html
Tuesday
How to Pray: Forgiveness is Your Path to Miracles
I’m a big fan and student of A Course in Miracles, but at first the text and Lessons seem quite difficult to comprehend because the Course is written in iambic pentameter! Through this series of articles, it is my intention to share in a simple, easy-to-understand way, some of the words, prayers and lessons that have inspired me within the Course.
For those totally unfamiliar with A Course in Miracles it is a self-study spiritual thought system with a central theme that teaches the best way to achieve peace in our hearts and in the world, is by forgiving ourselves and others. It teaches us to look at everything through the eyes of God, including ourselves and recognize that all relationships are holy – most especially our relationship with ourselves.
This article is about Lesson 78 which touched me because it deals with how we keep our miracles away from ourselves by holding grievances against someone else. This Lesson also speaks about forgiveness, which is a consistent theme throughout the Course.
The quote that particularly touched me in this Lesson is: “Let me behold my savior in this one You have appointed as the one for me to ask to lead me to the holy light in which he stands, that I may join with him.”
A bit of a mouthful eh? Don’t stop reading yet! Let’s break it down into sections and make it a little easier to understand.
So the first section — “Let me behold my savior in this one” – yes, THAT one – the one that might have just sprang to your mind. It may be “the one” that usually springs to your mind because you’ve never quite reconciled “that” situation, or comment, or experience. Or perhaps it is something that someone just said to you that you didn’t like, or that driver that cut you off on the freeway. The situation or circumstance doesn’t matter – what does matter is that you have been giving him/her your power and your energy by holding on to your thoughts about the situation. And in that holding on – with two clenched fists – you can’t reach your hands out to receive your miracles can you?
Hmmmmm . . . new idea? Did you perhaps just let out a big sigh that you didn’t know you were holding?
Continuing with the next section: “you have appointed as the one for me to ask.” I really like this because it allows us to view the situation from a completely different point of view . . . that God, in His Infinite Wisdom, and the Divine in each of us in our Infinite Wisdom, has created this person, this situation, as an opportunity to reclaim our divinity, which we have obviously temporarily forgotten.
This one, this person, this situation, this circumstance offers “to lead me to the Holy Light in which he stands” . . . because of course, in Truth, that person is a Child of God JUST LIKE ME AND YOU. Your Divine Self knows that and issues you an engraved invitation “that I may join with him.”
There you go – a bridge to the miracle in one holy instant! By viewing this situation through the eyes of the Divine, then you get to make a choice to have your very own miracle! Which in and of itself is a miracle wouldn’t you say? By choosing to see the Good, the God, the Divine, the Holiness in that person’s heart, or situation, YOU get the GRAND PRIZE! The Gift!! The Miracle! You get to reclaim your divinity AND join with another in theirs! Does it really get any better than that?
In summary we have broken down this quote: “Let me behold my savior in this one You have appointed as the one for me to ask to lead me to the holy light in which he stands, that I may join with him” and now understand what a true gift it offers. Instead of seeing a conflict with another person, I can choose to see that I have an opportunity to see the Go[o]d in this person, which allows me to join with him and realize that we really are at one with each other because of the Go[o]d within each of us. And suddenly, I am no longer separated from my good, and neither is he. A win-win if ever there is one!
At the end of the day, the best way to bring the good into your life, is to unclench your fists, change your mind and allow your heart to open. All we have to do is recognize that every experience is an opportunity for our greater good, as long as we make the choice to see it that way.
May you always let miracles replace your grievances.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/self-improvement-articles/how-to-pray-forgiveness-is-your-path-to-miracles-461746.html
For those totally unfamiliar with A Course in Miracles it is a self-study spiritual thought system with a central theme that teaches the best way to achieve peace in our hearts and in the world, is by forgiving ourselves and others. It teaches us to look at everything through the eyes of God, including ourselves and recognize that all relationships are holy – most especially our relationship with ourselves.
This article is about Lesson 78 which touched me because it deals with how we keep our miracles away from ourselves by holding grievances against someone else. This Lesson also speaks about forgiveness, which is a consistent theme throughout the Course.
The quote that particularly touched me in this Lesson is: “Let me behold my savior in this one You have appointed as the one for me to ask to lead me to the holy light in which he stands, that I may join with him.”
A bit of a mouthful eh? Don’t stop reading yet! Let’s break it down into sections and make it a little easier to understand.
So the first section — “Let me behold my savior in this one” – yes, THAT one – the one that might have just sprang to your mind. It may be “the one” that usually springs to your mind because you’ve never quite reconciled “that” situation, or comment, or experience. Or perhaps it is something that someone just said to you that you didn’t like, or that driver that cut you off on the freeway. The situation or circumstance doesn’t matter – what does matter is that you have been giving him/her your power and your energy by holding on to your thoughts about the situation. And in that holding on – with two clenched fists – you can’t reach your hands out to receive your miracles can you?
Hmmmmm . . . new idea? Did you perhaps just let out a big sigh that you didn’t know you were holding?
Continuing with the next section: “you have appointed as the one for me to ask.” I really like this because it allows us to view the situation from a completely different point of view . . . that God, in His Infinite Wisdom, and the Divine in each of us in our Infinite Wisdom, has created this person, this situation, as an opportunity to reclaim our divinity, which we have obviously temporarily forgotten.
This one, this person, this situation, this circumstance offers “to lead me to the Holy Light in which he stands” . . . because of course, in Truth, that person is a Child of God JUST LIKE ME AND YOU. Your Divine Self knows that and issues you an engraved invitation “that I may join with him.”
There you go – a bridge to the miracle in one holy instant! By viewing this situation through the eyes of the Divine, then you get to make a choice to have your very own miracle! Which in and of itself is a miracle wouldn’t you say? By choosing to see the Good, the God, the Divine, the Holiness in that person’s heart, or situation, YOU get the GRAND PRIZE! The Gift!! The Miracle! You get to reclaim your divinity AND join with another in theirs! Does it really get any better than that?
In summary we have broken down this quote: “Let me behold my savior in this one You have appointed as the one for me to ask to lead me to the holy light in which he stands, that I may join with him” and now understand what a true gift it offers. Instead of seeing a conflict with another person, I can choose to see that I have an opportunity to see the Go[o]d in this person, which allows me to join with him and realize that we really are at one with each other because of the Go[o]d within each of us. And suddenly, I am no longer separated from my good, and neither is he. A win-win if ever there is one!
At the end of the day, the best way to bring the good into your life, is to unclench your fists, change your mind and allow your heart to open. All we have to do is recognize that every experience is an opportunity for our greater good, as long as we make the choice to see it that way.
May you always let miracles replace your grievances.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/self-improvement-articles/how-to-pray-forgiveness-is-your-path-to-miracles-461746.html
Saturday
Executive Mansion miracles of 1926 fire
Christmas was a family affair when Gov. E. Lee Trinkle occupied the Executive Mansion in Richmond.
Trinkle, who served from 1922 to 1926, had three lively children who relished the holiday and the large Christmas tree that traditionally graced the ballroom.
After the Trinkles' final Christmas at the mansion, first lady Helen Trinkle asked the butler to pack the decorations and discard the withering tree. She wanted the ballroom cleared for official receptions during the family's final weeks in the house.
The butler began the task the morning of Jan. 4, 1926. While he worked, the Trinkles' son, Billy, who was to turn 5 in a few weeks, played nearby. The butler lighted a holiday sparkler to keep the child amused.
"Billy whirled a brilliant sparkler near his big Christmas tree," the next morning's Richmond Times-Dispatch said. "It might as well have been a magic wand."
More than 60 years later, William S. "Billy" Trinkle, who died in 2002, recalled for The Times-Dispatch that he threw the sparkler on the dry tree, which erupted in flames. "I ran out back and hid under the smokehouse," he said.
The butler tried to extinguish the fire with his hands, but flames spread quickly to furnishings and woodwork. He alerted the first lady, who phoned the fire department.
The first lady stood outside with others while firefighters pumped water onto the rapidly spreading fire.
She knew Billy was safe, and she knew her daughter, Helen Sue, was in school, but she suddenly realized her oldest child, son Lee, who had been asleep upstairs, was not among the evacuees.
"While men looked on appalled, and one ran to forcibly restrain her, she dashed into a roaring furnace, gained the staircase and staggered through smoke and flames to the room where her 15-year-old son was asleep," The Times-Dispatch reported. "The son awoke as billowing smoke and tongues of flame followed his mother into the room."
The first lady collapsed, overcome by smoke and heat. Her son assumed the hero's role.
Lee Trinkle dragged his unconscious mother to a rear window. He raised the sash and held her until fresh air revived her.
Her screams brought firefighters to the back of the house. But because of the mansion's greater elevation at its rear, the only available ladders stopped 10 feet short of the window.
Fire Capt. G.D. Rust stood as near the top rung as he dared and lifted his arms. "Lee insisted that his mother be the first to go," the report continued. "He helped her through the window and she hung suspended from the window." She let go.
Helen Trinkle fell into Rust's arms. A bone in the firefighter's shoulder cracked. He lost his grip but grabbed the first lady's ankle before she fell head-first to the paved courtyard below.
"How he held on under such circumstances is another one of the near-miracles which were crowded into a breathless 10 minutes," The Times-Dispatch said. A firefighter on another ladder beside Rust snagged the first lady and carried her to the ground.
Meanwhile, the 15-year-old swung from the window, pushed himself away from the building and sailed toward the ground. The butler's outstretched arms broke his fall. Neither was hurt.
The governor arrived from his Capitol office just as the blaze was extinguished and in time to accompany his wife to a hospital. She suffered firstand second-degree burns and recovered without scarring.
The mansion recovered as well but not in time for the new governor's arrival. The family of Gov. Harry F. Byrd Sr. stayed at The Jefferson Hotel until restoration was completed in April.
Trinkle, who served from 1922 to 1926, had three lively children who relished the holiday and the large Christmas tree that traditionally graced the ballroom.
After the Trinkles' final Christmas at the mansion, first lady Helen Trinkle asked the butler to pack the decorations and discard the withering tree. She wanted the ballroom cleared for official receptions during the family's final weeks in the house.
The butler began the task the morning of Jan. 4, 1926. While he worked, the Trinkles' son, Billy, who was to turn 5 in a few weeks, played nearby. The butler lighted a holiday sparkler to keep the child amused.
"Billy whirled a brilliant sparkler near his big Christmas tree," the next morning's Richmond Times-Dispatch said. "It might as well have been a magic wand."
More than 60 years later, William S. "Billy" Trinkle, who died in 2002, recalled for The Times-Dispatch that he threw the sparkler on the dry tree, which erupted in flames. "I ran out back and hid under the smokehouse," he said.
The butler tried to extinguish the fire with his hands, but flames spread quickly to furnishings and woodwork. He alerted the first lady, who phoned the fire department.
The first lady stood outside with others while firefighters pumped water onto the rapidly spreading fire.
She knew Billy was safe, and she knew her daughter, Helen Sue, was in school, but she suddenly realized her oldest child, son Lee, who had been asleep upstairs, was not among the evacuees.
"While men looked on appalled, and one ran to forcibly restrain her, she dashed into a roaring furnace, gained the staircase and staggered through smoke and flames to the room where her 15-year-old son was asleep," The Times-Dispatch reported. "The son awoke as billowing smoke and tongues of flame followed his mother into the room."
The first lady collapsed, overcome by smoke and heat. Her son assumed the hero's role.
Lee Trinkle dragged his unconscious mother to a rear window. He raised the sash and held her until fresh air revived her.
Her screams brought firefighters to the back of the house. But because of the mansion's greater elevation at its rear, the only available ladders stopped 10 feet short of the window.
Fire Capt. G.D. Rust stood as near the top rung as he dared and lifted his arms. "Lee insisted that his mother be the first to go," the report continued. "He helped her through the window and she hung suspended from the window." She let go.
Helen Trinkle fell into Rust's arms. A bone in the firefighter's shoulder cracked. He lost his grip but grabbed the first lady's ankle before she fell head-first to the paved courtyard below.
"How he held on under such circumstances is another one of the near-miracles which were crowded into a breathless 10 minutes," The Times-Dispatch said. A firefighter on another ladder beside Rust snagged the first lady and carried her to the ground.
Meanwhile, the 15-year-old swung from the window, pushed himself away from the building and sailed toward the ground. The butler's outstretched arms broke his fall. Neither was hurt.
The governor arrived from his Capitol office just as the blaze was extinguished and in time to accompany his wife to a hospital. She suffered firstand second-degree burns and recovered without scarring.
The mansion recovered as well but not in time for the new governor's arrival. The family of Gov. Harry F. Byrd Sr. stayed at The Jefferson Hotel until restoration was completed in April.
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