Miracles

1/4/2019

Tuesday night. A close friend in Asia discovers she is in terrible financial debt through no fault of her own. She has supported a near relative through her studies at considerable personal cost and the relative has let her down badly. I ask her to ask the bank how much she needs to clear the debt. Wednesday night. She tells me, UK equivalent, £1000. She says, ‘Let’s pray.’ I agree. Thursday night. A biker in the UK who I don’t know well calls me and asks if I can meet him at a biker/truck stop café on Sunday morning. I wonder if I have inadvertently done something to upset him. I agree to meet.

Sunday morning. He’s waiting at the table and I sit down, nervously. He asks, ‘That girl in Asia you once spoke about trusts Jesus, right?’ ‘Yes’, I reply. He slides an envelope across the table towards me. Now I am puzzled. He says, ‘Jesus told me to give her this – as soon as possible. Can you send it to her?’ Intrigued, I say, ‘Yes.’ He continues, sternly. ‘This is nothing to do with me. It’s between her and Jesus. I don’t want to hear about it again.’ I slide the envelope into my pocket, thank him and leave. At home, I open the sealed envelope. £1000 inside in crisp, new bank notes. I am speechless.

I don’t know about you, but this type of encounter, this kind of experience leaves me stunned and amazed. It has happened to me on quite a few occasions in my life and I’m convinced it lays beyond ordinary, rational explanation. I’m going to be brave here and to call it a miracle. It’s unpopular in contemporary secular culture to talk about God or the super-natural in the context of work and I’m not going to get all religious because that would be inappropriate and annoying. I am, instead, hoping to provoke an open spirit of curiosity. Have we thrown out the baby with the bath water?

I remember reading Holloway’s book, Spirituality & Social Work (2010) and Mathews’, Social Work and Spirituality (2009) which re-introduced questions of faith and spirituality into domains where such considerations had effectively and, I would argue, over-hastily been dismissed as irrelevant. Having reacted rightly against ‘religion’ in its worst, oppressive forms, I detect a fresh openness to consider Who or what may lay beyond the boundaries of empirical science; especially when working with people and cultures for whom life-giving faith and spiritual dimensions are fundamental.

As leader, coach, OD or trainer, what role, if any, do faith and spirituality play in your practice? How do you work effectively with people and cultures who consider them critical? Have you ever seen or experienced something that caused you to question everything you had believed was real and true?

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28 Comments

Martine Bolton

1/4/2019 08:12:27 pm

Very interesting. This kind of thing is happening all the time, all around the world. It happens to people of all religions and denominations and those who are non-religious / non-spiritual.

These miracles seem to be created by us or through us via prayer, visualisation, affirmations, and the like. When we go within and get really clear about what we want, hold the vision and have unswerving faith that it is on its way, I think we can achieve anything.

We will probably never know the true source of these 'miracles'. Depending on where and how we are raised, we will likely call it something different. But the power of a) a very clear goal or intention, and b) absolute belief that what we want is on its way, is miraculous indeed 😊

Nick Wright

1/4/2019 08:21:34 pm

Thanks Martine. That's an interesting perspective. Do you have any stories you could share from personal experience? I would love to hear them! To me there is wonder, or miracle, both in what happens and in perceiving it. The former is an exceptional event or experience that is inexplicable by rational thought or coincidence. The latter is and feels a bit like Viktor Shklovsky's depiction of the impact and influence of art: 'Art makes the familiar strange so that it can be freshly perceived. To do this it presents its material in unexpected, even outlandish ways: the shock of the new.' It's as if a miracle enables us to see...and is seen by a special kind of seeing.

1/4/2019 09:27:05 pm

In terms of personal experience, the closest I have come to miracles has been when working with clients in hypnotherapy. Mental shifts made during this process with various clients have resulted in difficult relationships being transformed, physical ailments disappearing, anxieties being alleviated, and that kind of thing. I have read many more spectacular stories over the years in metaphysical and religious literature too, which has convinced me that these things are fairly commonplace. Most people I speak to seem to have had some kind of experience where they've thought about something and it's come to them in an unexpected way. I have certainly experienced some very positive outcomes (and achieved goals) through focused thought and affirmation/visualisation (and also some negative experiences through worry and unhelpful beliefs!).

I think the power of the mind can achieve pretty much anything, so it's necessary to become aware of our thoughts and ensure they are constructive and focused on what we want - not what we don't want 🙂. Whether we achieve this through prayer or some other form of mental/spiritual practice probably doesn't really matter. What I can't say for sure is whether we have external help in all this ☺️

1/4/2019 09:32:56 pm

Thanks Martine. Perhaps it's helpful, therefore, to distinguish between 'miracles' as amazing things that happen, perhaps way beyond our hopes and expectations, and 'miracles' as Super-natural events? You reminded me of 'The Miracle Question' in solution-focused brief therapy. I agree, our personal and cultural thinking - and language - can be an incredible source of limitation and suffering on the one hand or creativity and release on the other.

2/4/2019 01:23:59 pm

Nick, I'm not sure about a distinction, to be honest... maybe it's just degrees of the same thing? Need to reflect on that I think 😄!

2/4/2019 01:26:07 pm

Hi Martine. On reflection, the distinction I made may well be too simplistic!

3/4/2019 10:02:04 am

Nick, I do like a bit of simple 😉😄! It's often great to explore these matters, but I'm not sure we can ever truly know the depths of the workings of the universe 😊. Fun topic though!

3/4/2019 10:13:11 am

Thanks Martine. I'm convinced these matters are really important. I remember a social worker friend in Germany once being chastised by a 'secular' social worker colleague for discussing issues of faith and spirituality with a teenage youth group. The latter was convinced this was and should be out of bounds for social work practice.

My friend reflected back that the young people he worked with were struggling with profound existential issues, e.g. 'Why am I here?', 'Is there any point to my life?', 'Why do I feel so anxious all the time?', 'Is there going to be a nuclear war?', 'What happens after we die?' On what basis should faith and spirituality be excluded from such conversations? His colleague could not answer.

My sense is that it's really important to reflect, work on and at times struggle with these things, even if we can't always find, explain or prove definitive answers. I find it sad, disappointing and frustrating that some professional fields are so dismissive without good ethical, philosophical or practical grounds for being/doing so.

3/4/2019 05:44:19 pm

I agree - share what has been helpful to you with others (whilst giving them choice in terms of what to believe personally).

3/4/2019 05:46:17 pm

Hi Martine. Or explore what the client considers important, rather than ruling out faith and spirituality per se.

Kathrin

1/4/2019 08:32:35 pm

Miracle? Fate? Coincidence? How are such special and inexplicable situations described by different people? And here it depends on your own attitude. Personally, I would call it miracle. And always name the dimension "God" in my explanation. And so affirm my faith in God and always stick to it. But also be open to other opinions, away from the faith.

1/4/2019 08:43:57 pm

Hi Kathrin. Yes, for me too the source of an authentic miracle is God, although I recognise that the miracle phenomenon itself doesn't often contain its own explanation and that, therefore, we attribute origin, meaning and purpose to a miracle depending on what we already believe to be true and real. At the same time, a miracle can spark curiosity and faith in God which is, perhaps, one reason why the New Testament describes miracles as 'signs'? A sign always points to something...or someone...beyond itself.

Katy Lyne

2/4/2019 01:26:50 pm

Very often I find that, particularly when coaching senior leaders, the dialogue moves to spirituality and fundamental existential questions around humanity - those spaces where there are no easy answers.Although I rarely 'name' it as such, I often recognise that my own faith gives me framework that can be helpful as a potential source of inquiry for leaders. Issues such as forgiveness, being a 'cracked vessel', affirming the basic value of individuals as 'beings' etc are much more easily addressed within the context of faith, and my experience is that people who have such a framework find it easier to grapple with these things. I would like to think that my own faith gives me an ability to support coachees to sit with the ambiguity and paradoxes within areas such as this, knowing how rich a seam of inquiry they can be. It is an area I find absolutely fascinating! Thanks for the blog Nick!

2/4/2019 01:28:31 pm

Thanks Katy. I think you expressed that beautifully.

Julie Couchman-Boor

2/4/2019 01:59:48 pm

Hi Nick. I loved today's blog, brilliant story.

2/4/2019 02:00:06 pm

Thanks Julie. It inspired me too! :)

Riccardo Bianconi

2/4/2019 08:50:16 pm

Dear Nick, I avoid this kind of subject, because it's belonging to personal belief and since I'm not compelled to do that activity, I avoid to cope with. If a Client need to get an objective and he/she find a belief not fuctional in his/her pattern, I try to take the belief apart, linking the Client to reality... if this belief is a spiritual one, I do make a deep evaluation on benefits and possible damages in such a trial... Riccardo

2/4/2019 09:04:08 pm

Hi Riccardo. Thank you for such an honest response. It sounds like you enable a client to work through their own beliefs and the implications of those beliefs for them, rather than necessarily enter into those beliefs with them. That seems, to me, entirely appropriate for an ethical, client-focused coaching relationship.

For me, my Christian faith and spirituality influence my beliefs, ethics, values, hopes and expectations etc, how I practise and what I experience as a coach. Here's an example: http://www.nick-wright.com/blog/listening-for-a-voice I would be interested to hear what you think..!

2/4/2019 10:36:52 pm

Dear Nick, first of all, reading your article I felt good! I'm Christian too. Also if I'm not a good Catholic, or not Catholic at all, I deeply genuflect in front of the "Divine Sacrifice" of Jesus. Notwithstanding, I've also a fascination, a strong attraction to other religious way of understanding God. Sure, I deeply believe in God, but I not pretend to say anything about. If we speak of God, it means we are able to comprehend His nature. From latin old language, "to comprehend" means to have the capability (and capacity) to contain a concept. That's impossible with God, that comprehend us. Not the contrary. As reference to your remarcable article, I agree completely with the first, second and fourth voices. The third one, the voice of God, the World (John "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God") in my opinion is some message that rise to our awareness through our "psyche", that we can listen but not comprehend too (as in the Jung teaching). So, in my opinion, the Psyche can be considered as the contact with God, and with our unconscious too. So we can listen, not directly, but we can, and here we connect again. Great. Different way to be on the same pattern!

2/4/2019 10:38:26 pm

Hi Riccardo. Thank you for sharing more deeply profound and interesting reflections on this topic. Much appreciated!

Rick James link

3/4/2019 09:02:31 am

Hi Nick,

I loved this inspiring story that goes beyond what our rational minds can understand. This sort of thing happens on occasion in my OD practice with organisations. I remember the first time - I was facilitating a strategy workshop with a national umbrella body. In reality, it was the final roll of the dice as this network was the sickest, most corrupt organisation I had ever come across. The Chair and Vice Chair were being bribed by the State President. Members had burned down each other’s buildings the week before I arrived. I was threatened with deportation if the workshop did not go well. I only found out later that I’d been selected, not for my skill as a consultant, but because they mistakenly believed I would not be intimidated by threat of prison.

On the second day everything suddenly changed when after a reading of scripture, I suddenly had 40 faith leaders on their knees at the front of the room wailing for the mess the organisation was in. It was a powerful group process, but people needed to take personal responsibility. So I sent them off on their own to ask God to reveal to them the answer to – how have I contributed to this situation? They then got together in small groups to tell each other what they felt they heard. Everything came out – about how they had prostituted themselves before the President. It proved to be a transformational moment. It brought radical and lasting change. 15 years on, the organisation is thriving today.

Of course such 'miracles' cannot be manufactured. All you can do is create the conditions for these moments of grace and wait... and pray

Your blog reminded me of an article I read by Lichtenstein back in 1997. He interviewed three leading change consultants and theorists (Peter Senge, Bill Torbert and Ellen Wingard) and concluded that the cause of transformation was ‘supernatural’ and could not be expressed with rational, logical words. Each was able to give a rational logic for pushing the organisation to the brink of transformation and after the point of transformation. But the actual cause of transformation, according to the data, they described as ‘grace’, ‘magic’ and a ‘miracle’.

Lichtenstein, B., (1997) Grace, Magic and Miracles: A “chaotic logic” of Organizational transformation, Journal of Organizational Change Management Vol. 10, No 5, 1997 pp 393-411 MCB University Press.

3/4/2019 10:32:05 am

Thanks Rick, and for posting such a remarkable personal story of personal and group transformation. Your comment, 'they mistakenly believed I would not be intimidated by threat of prison' made me laugh! :) I like the language of 'grace, magic and miracles' - that describes well how I often perceive and experience events that I attribute to God's Spirit at work. I see it as a wonderful, mysterious and inexplicable work that amazingly transcends and transforms.

Here's another story. I once felt God prompting me to take a can opener to a youth meeting I was leading and to give it to a girl called Wendy. It felt random and bizarre at the time but I thought, hey, at worst I will look and feel stupid. I took my can opener from the drawer, dropped it into my bag and tried not to over-think it in case I lost my nerve and put it back in the drawer.

That evening, at the opening of the meeting, I handed the can opener to Wendy and said, simply, 'I believe God told me to give you this.' I then looked away for fear of embarrassment. A few minutes later, however, I noticed Wendy was in floods of tears with other girls hugging her and trying to comfort her. I was bemused but didn't say anything.

At the end of the meeting, Wendy told me that she had fallen out with her mother that week, moved into her own bedsit on the day of the youth meeting and felt miserable and alone. She wasn't going to come to the youth meeting but, just before it started, she felt hungry and opened a box of food items her tearful Mum had given her as a parting gift. Everything was in cans - and she had no can opener.

The local shops had already closed so Wendy came to the youth meeting, simply because we provided drinks and food and she was hungry. She walked in the door, sat down feeling miserable, and I handed the can opener to her, 'I believe God told me to give you this.' Wonderful, mysterious and inexplicable or, in Lichtenstein's words, 'grace, magic and miracles'!!

Rick James

3/4/2019 10:38:03 am

Yes we need the space and courage to open ourselves up to these amazing opportunities. I love the down to earth practicality of these supernatural things - like the can opener.

3/4/2019 11:44:55 am

Hi Rick. Yes, words like courage with humility, truth with grace, have become even more foundational to my leadership, coaching and OD thinking and practice since working with you! My encounters in the Philippines have also convinced me more than ever that, as the New Testament says, 'God is able to do far more than we can ask or imagine'. It has changed my perspective and stance on everything..!

Peirong Lin

4/4/2019 03:57:38 pm

Wow. The discussion of miracles here in the west! :) Coming from almost the global south (country is 1°N), I think the understanding of miracles is still rather mainstream, especially with the older generation. People expect miracles, and actively wait for their arrival. While this makes space for the supernatural, it can also be a easy way to abdicate personal responsibility.

For me, miracles are one of the many ways that our supernatural God communicates and reveals himself to us. While being open to miracles, there are also other channels of revelation that we we should personally pursue with discernment that involves logical thinking, knowledge, experience etc.I think about instances like faith healing, where people want God to heal them miraculously, instead of mainstream medical treatment.

4/4/2019 04:33:01 pm

Hi Peirong. Thanks for sharing such thoughtful reflections. Yes, that's an interesting juxtaposition between waiting for God to do something miraculous on the one hand and taking personal responsibility to do something ourselves on the other. It reminds me of Marx's criticism of religion as 'the opium of the people'.

I don't see space for grace (to coin Rick James' phrase) and taking action as mutually exclusive. A girl I work with in the Philippines, about whom I have blogged from time to time, sees it as taking action whilst at the same time seeking and being open to the Super-natural work of God. I find that helpful and life-giving in my work.

Justin Blake

12/4/2019 03:07:38 pm

Hi Nick, love the story of £1000 being provided supernaturally for your friend in Asia. Wonderful! Have experienced similar encounters and intervention in our journey. Great to see you being so open, brave and courageous which really resonates.

12/4/2019 03:08:23 pm

Thanks Justin. I would love to hear more about your encounters and interventions in your journey too!

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