There’s a funny thing about miracles. They always require us to do something different than we’ve been doing.
In my prayer time this morning, the health of our planet came to mind, and I found myself wanting God to do something about it. I wanted God to miraculously alter the way we have abused our earthly home and bring it back to its pristine and healthy state. I wanted a miracle. And then I remembered, God can only do for us what God can do through us. We, every one of us, must change something in our thoughts, words, and actions to bring our planet once more into its glory. It’s the way miracles work.
Think about the things we call miracles. In every miracle of Jesus, someone has to DO something. At the Wedding Feast at Cana, water is only turned into wine after the stewards fill the jars with water. No water, no wine.
A blind man who wishes to see must put mud over his eyes and then wash it away. The man whose son is gravely ill must return to him and believe the healing will occur. The woman who had hemorrhaged for twelve years? She reached out and touched the hem of Jesus’ garment.
Miracles require us to do something. And that something involves a change of thought, a change of belief, a change of words, and a change of action. They require action grounded in absolute faith.
What miracle are you looking for today? And what will you change? What voice will you listen to? What will you believe – the impossible? Or the possible? And what will you do differently?
MOVEMENT is the activity of continuous motion, miraculously at work at all times. Nothing is ever not moving. Nothing is ever truly static. Though it may seem at times that nothing is happening, we are breathing, the planet we stand upon is moving, the universe is continuously expanding, everything in fact is moving all of the time. That this occurs is more fact than miracle but the awareness of MOVEMENT in what seems to be static is miraculous indeed. When it seems that nothing will change, that the things of the world are too big, too cumbersome, outside of our control; we would do well to tune into this activity, for it is Spirit that continuously moves through us. Stepping into an awareness of the movement of Spirit within us reminds us that there is no “thing” more powerful than the power of God within us. Remembering that everything is always in motion reminds us that change, evolution and transcendence are always at hand. It reminds us that all things of matter are transient, impermanent. What is permanent and unchanging is God and our awareness of our oneness in the Source of all that lives, moves and has being. That is powerful and miraculous indeed.
The Changing Leaves are always a miraculous sight for those of us in climates that provide this annual display of colorful foliage. The predictable transformation has become synonymous with change and a reminder that there is always new life, new growth just beyond what appears to be death. What is truly remarkable about the process is what causes the change in colors. As the hours of daylight become less, the tree responds to an inner signal. The signal is not to drop its leaves although that is what occurs. The signal is to begin new growth. The tree begins to direct its resources to new growth, to the buds that will occur in the spring. This focus on the new growth in turn diminishes the flow of nutrients to the current leaves and they respond by fading, falling and preparing the space for the new buds. As always, when I look at the falling leaves I know that new life will occur in the spring but today I recognize that the forming of new buds has already begun. In life, as I see something fading away, I know on an inner level that something new is forming within me. What falls away prepares the space for what is being called forth in me. This is the miracle of transformation that occurs in the trees, in my life and in the world. 
FOSSILS, petrified bits of earthly history, are miraculous vessels of time. They provide a peek into the past of our planet giving us a three-dimensional snapshot to all that transpired before us. They are fascinating to behold and sometimes offer us clues to living more harmoniously with our environment than the lifeforms that preceded us. The soul of humankind, the individualized expression of God is also a vessel of time. The soul holds all the experiences of a person, each thought and emotion captured and stored for our review. Unlike a FOSSIL though, we are not petrified. What we hold in the history of our beingness is not written in stone. What has been written in our minds and hearts can be changed, evolved, transformed and even dissolved. That thought, that belief you’ve lived with for so long that leaves a heavy, uncomfortable imprint in you? What would it look like if you changed it? What would it look like if you evolved it, allowed it to grow into something more affirming and whole? What would you look like if you simply let it go?
The CHANGING COLORS of leaves in the northern autumn season are a miraculous display of life renewing itself. Today I saw just three leaves on our maple tree that had turned a brilliant, maize. The brightly colored foliage was nested in a ground of deep, green leaves that had not yet begun to turn. Change, whether the color of leaves, or the unfolding of our lives, often occurs just a little at a time. Why rush when the real beauty lies in beholding the process? The leaves will change according their own perfect timing. Each stage will be a glorious sight to see. Our own transformation often begins with just a glimpse of something small but brighter. This process too is beautiful to behold and will unfold according to its own innate and perfect timing. The CHANGING COLORS are beautiful, and remind me of the miracles at work continuously within me. 
TRANSFORMATION is the miracle of changing form. One might think this is something magical or something reserved for the few, those who have chosen a monastic life. But change is occurring all the time. Cells die, cells are born. The body changes form. The physical image I see in the mirror today is not the same as the one I saw yesterday or 20 years ago. Everything changes. Everything transforms. The mystical TRANSFORMATION is the one that is not seen yet known and felt in awareness. This TRANSFORMATION occurs when we have a deep change in mind. When we release a long-held belief or fear something magical is born; a new thought. A new thought born in mind has a physical effect on our appearance, our stature, and most importantly in our awareness. A change in mind forms something grand and new in our lives. The miracle is more than just the change. The true miracle is our power to choose it. TRANSFORMATION the miracle that allows us to choose a new way of being. Whatever that thought is that is frightening you right now, change it. Let it fall away and choose a new thought, an affirming, life-giving thought. Choose a thought that affirms the power of God in you as bigger than what your mind has been focusing on and be TRANSFORMED.
LAUGHTER is a gift from God. It is the sound of pure joy emanating through us from the very heart of Spirit. LAUGHTER is a healing miracle, especially when we can let it flow in the midst of challenges. Just as a good cry cleanses our hearts, LAUGHTER quickly follows healing, renewing and shaking loose any remnants of stuck energy requiring release. LAUGHTER knows no race, no creed, no age. It is a sound vibration that connects us on the deepest of levels. Perhaps, today, whatever is going on in our lives or in the world, we can find something to LAUGH about. As LAUGHTER heals the heart, it also energizes and revitalizes. It awakens the indwelling powers of strength and wisdom that we might step into what is ours to do and be in a world that aches for transformation. LAUGH. LAUGH out loud. Let it be the sound of joy and Divine Love expressing, healing, and revitalizing us as we step forward in our ongoing endeavors to create a world that works for all.
Eileen Patra 