Virtues in Paradise: Everyday miracles

Sometimes something will suddenly appear in front of us in response to a prayer or a wish writes - Linda Kavelin-Popov.

The other day at Aitutaki hospital, I was sitting in the waiting room, when I suddenly noticed that three people I had been wanting to connect with were right near me. I had a little conversation with each of them and went home with a band-aid and a big smile. It felt like a moment of Grace, and I was thankful.

One of my teachable moments in life has been that there is true spiritual efficiency in prayer, and in seeking guidance rather than pushing for something, trying to control it. It is a choice to shift into trust and faith, particularly when seeking to follow God’s guidance. It’s like going with the flow, finding the current and letting it carry us rather than feverishly paddling away against the current, trying to impose our will rather than discerning the direction we are meant to be taking. A friend talked about trying to organise the family when one family member fell ill, pushing for a meal plan where each made meals so that every day would be covered. The plan just wouldn’t come together. Then, a daughter arrived to stay and said the plan wasn’t really necessary, and she would ask for help when she needed it. “When I push,” my friend said, “it doesn’t work out. Slow and steady gentle perseverance is far more effective. The family didn’t need me to make things happen. It was an organic unfolding.” If I had attempted to organise meetings with these three individuals who appeared with such synchronicity, it would probably have been a very elusive process, but here they were, all at once, and it only took a few private words with each of them to move forward in a positive way. The virtue of faith, combined with the flexibility to go with the flow, is a much more peaceful way to live.

A First Nations medicine man in Canada once asked me, “Would you rather be driven, or would you rather be led?” I think of it as driven by my ego (which tends to believe it is in charge and in control) or led by my soul (which seeks to be guided by Grace.) The Buddha says, “Freedom and happiness are found in the flexibility and ease with which we move through change.” Peacefully pursuing a path relying on Grace doesn’t mean to be helpless or to do nothing, waiting around for something to happen. It is a shift within our spirit, setting an intention and trustingly following a path we feel led to take. In 2 Corinthians 12:9 Jesus says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” It is better to focus on the power of Spirit rather than our own inadequacies. Abd’ul Baha says in the Baha’i Writings, “As your faith is so shall your powers and blessings be.” When we “let go and let God” as a slogan goes in Alcoholics Anonymous, it’s amazing what miracles can appear in our everyday lives.