Have you ever made a mistake that seems so senseless that you can’t imagine any good coming from it? Has something happened to you that you believe has ruined your life irreparably? Do you watch the news, look at politics and the environment, and worry that we are rapidly tailspinning from bad to worse?
If so, I have some better news: Everything, no matter how bad it seems, contains something of value that will reveal itself in time. A Course in Miracles tells us, “It takes great learning to understand that all things, events, encounters and circumstances are helpful.”
Steven Spielberg’s breakout movie, Jaws, was a way scary film about a rogue shark that emerged from the depths of the sea and devoured people. Some viewers, after seeing Jaws, did not go to the beach for years! What good could possibly come from a foray into horror that caused such mass panic?
When Jaws became the highest-grossing film of all time, Columbia Pictures was eager for Spielberg to direct another movie to fill their coffers. So they gave him carte blanche and huge funding to make any film he wanted. The result was Close Encounters of the Third Kind, one of the most uplifting films to ever reach the masses. Until that time, nearly all science fiction movies portrayed aliens as bloodthirsty ogres invading the Earth to subjugate or destroy it. In poignant contrast, Close Encounters depicted visitors from the stars as benevolent, eager to connect with humanity and help us. Metaphysically, this reversal represents a leap of humanity’s consciousness from fear, protectionism, vulnerability, and war, to trust, safety, and positive co-creation.
Riding high on the success of Close Encounters, Spielberg brought forth E.T., an even more endearing tale about an extraterrestrial with healing power, stranded on Earth, trying to find his way home. This theme is even more metaphysical, symbolizing that we are all extraterrestrials—beings born with essence beyond the material dimension—lost in our visit to the world, longing to return to our spiritual home.
I met a Catholic man named Lou who showed a movie about the apparitions that occurred in Garabandal, Spain. Similar to Fatima and Lourdes, four girls in a small village had ecstatic supernatural visions of Mother Mary. Over four years, she gave them instructions and performed miracles. This phenomenon attracted many thousands of pilgrims who experienced transformations and healing.
When I asked Lou how he got into this ministry, he told me, “As a young man, I was very shy and I avoided any public spotlight. Then I began to get attention for telling off-color jokes. I developed a reputation, and I was invited to men’s groups and night clubs to do my risqué routine. In the process, I grew quite confident to speak in public.
“When I learned about the Garabandal miracles, I was extremely inspired. I lost interest in my off-color comedy career, and I stepped into my role to publicize the healings. My comedy stint was the perfect preparation for me to bring a healing message to the masses.”
A woman living in the country ran out of food for her family. Desperate and hungry, she got down on her knees and prayed to God for sustenance. Some boys outside her house heard her praying, and decided to play a trick on her. They found a chicken, climbed up on the roof, and threw the bird down her chimney. Seeing the chicken fall from heaven, she shouted, “Hallelujah! Thank you, God!”
The mischievous boys knocked on her door and, laughing, told her, “We were the ones who sent you that chicken.” The lady replied. “The devil delivered it, but it was God who sent it.”
A Course in Miracles asks us to remember, “I do not know what anything is for.” Everything has a broader purpose than we can see in a given moment. It is said, “The record books never show the score at halftime.” What seems to be going wrong may be leading what goes right. Higher vision reveals what fear tries to hide, and Spirit always has a bigger plan.
