Esther was a woman in the Bible. She was chosen to be queen but the king did not know she was Jewish. The king was tricked by a manipulative and power hungry man into decreeing that all Jews would be put to death. Esther’s uncle Mordecai, who adopted her when her parents died, asked her to go to the king and petition him to stop the decree. She knew that going to the king without being summoned could be grounds for death and was frightened. Mordecai was certain that the Jews would be saved by some means, but prophesied that Esther’s life would be destroyed if she refused her help. He encouraged her, “…who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14 KJV Bible

I define a miracle as a divine gift that cannot easily be explained by our current knowledge. With the modern age of virtual reality, computer generated imagery, “perfect” lives on social media and television, and puffed up news accounts, a true miracle may appear to others as nothing special. No one seems to know what is real and what is smoke and mirrors. It takes humility to recognize a miracle. Humility can be hard to tolerate.

Some miracles happen seemingly out of the blue; a gracious, unexpected gift. Many miracles are sweet and small and are sometimes called “tender mercies.” Most of the miracles in my life have come from a fervent plea for help. Esther not only fasted and prayed for assistance, she asked for the faith of others to also fast and pray. Allowing others to help means risking public failure; the willingness to be vulnerable.

Like Esther risking death for the greater good, many miracles require courage; the ability to tolerate fear. It means stepping into the unknown; the ability to tolerate suspense. Some of the words you used to describe the state before a miracle: hopeful, cautiously optimistic, situations that were troubling for me, irritable, couldn’t rest, mad about the situation.

I remember experiencing many of those same things and would include: tension, worry, determination, release and myriad other emotions. The truth is, sometimes things don’t turn out the way we would like. That means learning to tolerate disappointment. Failure may actually set the stage for a miracle down the road. Failure can be difficult to tolerate.

Thank you to those who shared stories of miracles in your lives. I loved reading about your experiences. Some of the words used to describe the feelings following a miracle: astonished, grateful, aware of being part of something sacred, amazing, overwhelming, startling, awesome, grounding, humbling.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll share some of the events that have taught me to tolerate miracles. We all have the ability to increase humility, vulnerability, courage, and faith, and to even feel joy during the challenging times knowing a miracle is sure to come. Who knows? Perhaps you are here, right this moment, for such a time as this.

For now, try this mindfulness exercise:

Sit comfortably in a quiet place. Begin to relax and sense your breath. The body, and it’s trillions of components, is a miracle! Recognize the oxygen moving into your lungs. It enters the blood stream, cleaning and energizing as it moves through every vessel into every part of your body. Sense the flow of this energy through your blood. Spend a few moments just sensing this movement. On an out breath, recognize that you are releasing carbon dioxide, which gives life to the plants, trees and grasses around you. Just as the blood carries life through your body, air carries carbon dioxide where it is needed. Plants, trees and grasses “breathe” in the carbon dioxide and release it back into the airstream as oxygen. It flows back to you naturally; a gift that you give and take. Feel the joy in knowing that you are supporting life all around you, and the certainty of being supported.

I’d love to hear more about your miracles or your experience with this meditation in the comments. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your journey!