Make Room For Miracles

"If it is not impossible, there is no room for a miracle."

This is one of the most common things I've heard my friend Jerry say, and he believes it wholeheartedly. He has shared with me multiple impossible situations he found himself in, personally and professionally, where the only way he knows how to explain what happened next was a miracle.

My cynical adult brain wants to protest, but it is his lived experience and the only way he has found to explain how the story played out.

My younger self found it a lot easier to believe that explanation.

But then, recently, I was on a call with a client who had been dealing with a horrible custody suit involving their two-year-old son and a completely unreasonable ex. They shared with me that after almost 18 months, the judge had ruled in their favor, and they would be able to continue joint custody and give their son the life he deserves.

"The only way to explain it is that a little miracle occurred."

Two weeks ago at church, a guest speaker spoke about the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000. Young Andy knew this story almost word for word, and I wondered what this speaker might share that I hadn't heard 5,000 times before. After establishing the basic details my Bible trivia nerd self already knew, she brought up something I hadn't considered.

"If there were, in fact, 5,000 people that were fed that day, think about the 4900-5000th person to be fed. They had to wait for the miracle to make its way to them even though it had taken place hours before. The miracle had already happened; they just hadn't tasted and seen it yet."

What a great thought to carry with us. When we find ourselves in impossible situations, miracles are possible. When miracles are possible, they might occur long before the tangible evidence of them makes its way to us.

But then the speaker went on to say, "The rest of the story is that 'only those who were seated ate their full.'"

It was only in a posture of stillness and patience that the miracle's evidence was able to make its way to those who experienced it.

I have to be honest; this was the part that was toughest for me to swallow.

Sitting still isn't on my to-do list when I am in a situation that feels impossible.

But then, this past Friday, an unexpected email landed in my inbox, letting me know that a situation that I had found peace with about three months ago had been resolved. The outcome was the closest thing to a miracle that I've experienced in recent memory. It was an outcome that no amount of striving and strategizing could have led to. This miracle had happened weeks ago, but I finally was able to experience it.

By letting go of the outcome, by sitting still knowing I'd done everything that I could do, I was able to be at peace with any outcome, knowing I'd done my part. And despite my visions of grandeur, the ones where I always find a way, this was not my outcome to claim.

So now I'm with Jerry - If it feels impossible, Make Room for Miracles!

Quote That Feels Timely

Start by doing what's necessary, then do what's possible, and suddenly, you are doing the impossible. - Francis of Assisi

Idea I Appreciated

My friend Megan wrote a great piece this week for Inc. laying out how what we used to call "Soft Skills" will be and should be referred to as "Durable Skills" as we advance in a world where AI will learn most procedural or analytical skills. These Durable Skills will be uniquely human and won't be replaced for a long time. She also identified how much of a gap there is for so many people early in their career around these skills and what a huge opportunity it will be for someone to teach them.

Speech I Wish Was Given Differently

The information shared in this 18-minute TED Talk is some of the most important information that anyone who cares about the future can receive. Sadly, Professor Galloway delivered it in a way that most of the gold will be missed. The opportunities of a generation are there if you're willing to overlook his horrible presenting style and press pause on the video every minute or so to digest what he shared.

(Fun Fact: My first ever public speaking gig was for Professor Galloway's NYU class in 2010. It made the Huffington Post!)