Wednesday, June 27, 2012

what if?

"What if? What if a miracle unknowingly occurred while you were sleeping last night, and your biggest life struggles were magically resolved? How would your life be different? What would you observe that would eventually lead you to the knowledge that a miracle happened? What would other people around you notice?

This is known as The Miracle Question.

When my professor demonstrated this key component to solutions-focused therapy, I cried a little. It didn't stir any profound thoughts within me, but it inspired me to stir something profound within others. Her delivery was immaculate. Beautiful.

A phenomenon typically occurs when a person is presented with this scenario; the changes they 'notice' as they walk through this imaginary world of 'What If' are mostly inward.

"I wouldn't feel worthless." "My spouse and I wouldn't fight." "I'd be free from the weight-of-the-world I carry." "I wouldn't by so worried."

The point is, more often than not, most things inside a person's ideal-miracle life are achievable, at least to some degree. Stepping out of our bedroom to stumble over a pile of money isn't our hearts truest desire, as our culture would have us believe. Money is nice, but more than anything, deep down inside most people want to change themselves. The therapist walks their client through this scenario and helps them pinpoint what some of these things could look like if applied to real life and how to attain them.

Miracles do happen. Prayer is powerful. What if we applied The Miracle Question to our prayer life? What if we walked through this scenario and looked for new ways to rely on God and sought His will in them? What if we prayed over being transformed according to His will and for His glory instead of over worldly circumstances?

What if we prayed solution-focused prayers?

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