Did you experience awe and wonder this morning at being given another precious day? You should, you know; after all, your life is a miracle. Have you ever thought much about that?
Did you know that, according to Wikipedia, an event is considered a miracle when the odds of it taking place is set at a 1 in a million chance of occurrence?
But hold on… according to many scientists and mathematicians, your chance of being born is much, much less than 1 in a million. It’s 1 in 400 trillion! That is 400,000 times less than 1 in a million! (And if you factor in the chances of the specific sperm penetrating the specific egg… it’s more like 1 in 400 quadrillion! Here’s an informative article, if you’re interested in the math.)
These odds of our existence are jaw dropping! They highlight the incredibly, almost impossible, low probability that any of us were born.
I admit it, I cannot begin to wrap my mind around these numbers, but they certainly cause me to pause and start to imagine the countless miracles that had to occur for all of us to be sitting here today reading this article.
“This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one.”
—George Bernard Shaw
What About Those Before Us?
To better appreciate our unbelievable presence in this world today, we need to appreciate the past and those who came before us.
My husband and I have been immersed in researching and doing some traveling to find out more about the past generations in our families. We are learning some of what they had to endure to survive.
Our ancestors had difficult lives, often facing nearly impossible challenges. So many unbelievable situations they had to overcome to continue our family line.
And considering the odds of our forefathers’ survival brings me to thinking about how many close misses, miraculous meetings and near encounters had to have happened for me to be here.
Really, What Are the Odds?
When I start to consider the odds that were against my being born, I am beyond amazed.
If my mom had said no to her friend’s suggestion of a blind date with my dad, if my grandma hadn’t traveled to a distant county fair that day and met my grandpa, if my grandfather who served in World War I had been killed before he married my grandma, if my family coming from England and Germany had died on the treacherous journey across the seas …. so many chances for them to lose their lives … and so many chances for me not to have a life.
I tried to envision one of those sci-fi movie introductions where you are taken for a time travel, back to the past with warp lightning speed watching a blur of miracles that had to unfold. Holy Cow… it boggles the mind!
Just going back 200 years helps to remind us about how life is so fragile. I learned that in the 1800s for every 1000 births, 462.9 deaths occurred, and 43% of those babies that lived did not survive past their fifth birthday! And if a child lived to 10, they still only had a 60% chance of surviving to adulthood. Our forebearers were the survivors! And if they were to make it to adulthood, they had to overcome wars, famines, diseases, plagues, and virtually no medical care. And yet – they did survive. Wow! What a miracle!
And those kinds of miracles occurred generation after generation to bring you and me here now. Today.
How Dare We Neglect All This?
So, I must ask… How dare we not be in awe and wonder at the sun’s rising each morning? How dare we ever take this precious and miraculous life of ours for granted? And how can we not believe that our purpose and mission here in life is a mighty one?
But to be honest, I have spent too much time taking my precious life for granted – going about my day questioning my purpose, living my life on autopilot, judging, feeling regret and being lazy. I whine too much about my discomforts and too often expect my responsibilities to be handed over to others.
I say things like, “I’m old, and it’s too late for me and I’ve done my time. And don’t you even think of suggesting that I make significant positive changes at this stage of my life…. You must be kidding! And besides, I am tired!”
If any of this resonates with you, I urge you to read George Bernard Shaw’s words of wisdom. For surely, the Irish critic and playwright understood this miracle of life.
“This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, the being a force of nature instead of a feverish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no ‘brief candle’ for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.”
Upon Reflection
As I read, and re-read, this passage above, I came up with a list of questions that I thought we should all ponder:
- Do I rejoice in life – in my life – for its own sake?
- Do I see myself as a mighty one and a force of nature? If not, why not?
- Do I identify with being a feverish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining and expecting the world to make me happy?
- How might I embrace hard work so that I might live more?
- Do I see my life belonging to a whole community, with me being given the privilege to serve?
- Is my desire to be used up when I die, squeezing out ever last moment?
Our life is a miracle, my dear precious friends; and yes, we are mighty ones and survivors. Let us continue to carry our splendid torch as we rejoice in our daily lives.
And I love this quote by actress Lauren Becall, “Here is a test to find out whether your mission in life is complete. If you’re alive, it isn’t.”
Your Thoughts:
Have you considered your life to be a miracle and a splendid torch that you want to hand off to future generations? How might we get our lights to burn brighter? I would love for you to share your thoughts, comments and wisdom.