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From
the Heart
by
Alan Cohen
The
Miracle of the Floating Fig
I
arrived at Harbin Hot Springs at two o’clock in
the morning, tired and hungry. Quickly I found my way
to the locker room, peeled off my clothes, and immersed
myself in the soothing body-temperature mineral waters.
Ahhhhhhhhh . . . Instantly I could feel my tired muscles,
stiff and aching after a long day’s travel, unwinding
and absorbing the warmth of the healing waters. I found
a seat on the underwater ledge, leaned my head back
against the rim of the pool, and naked before God, gazed
into the endless starry night. Silently I uttered a
prayer of thanks for finding my way to this healing
sanctuary.
But
there was still a problem: I was famished. I had not
eaten for many hours and, unable to find a store or
restaurant during my late-night drive through the rural
mountain region, I arrived without any provisions. The
onsite restaurant would not be open until the morning,
and I began to feel anxious about not being able to
get anything to eat until the next day.
Then I looked around me and realized I was in a place
of great beauty and well-being. An all-night candle
issued its mellow glow just above my head, while a mountain
stream chanted a playful lullaby just a few yards from
the pool. Surely God was in this place. Though I was
alone, I was not alone spiritually. Somehow, I reasoned,
I would be taken care of; even if I had to go without
food for a while, my heart was full.
Just
then my reveries were interrupted by something touching
my lip—an object had floated toward me and bumped
into my mouth. I reached to remove it and discovered
it was a fresh fig! Can you imagine my surprise and
delight to find a sweet delicacy finding me in the middle
of a hungry night? In rhythm with the grace of the moment
I opened my mouth and received communion from providence
— the tastiest fig I have ever enjoyed.
Then
I looked up to find that I was sitting beneath a huge
fig tree that spread its leafy limbs out over my entire
section of the pool! Below the tree were many figs,
freshly fallen, floating on the surface of the pool.
I made a short round and collected a handful. Then I
went on to enjoy a most treasured midnight snack.
This
experience has become a key metaphor for my life. It
reminded me that wherever I am, God is. I am always
taken care of, often in ways I could not control or
plan on. The miracle fig arrived at the very moment
I surrendered my sense of struggle and remembered that
all was well. What better formula for abundant living?
Now
I am recognizing that there are always figs (metaphorically
speaking) wherever I go. A Course in Miracles asks us
to remember, “I am content to be wherever He wishes,
knowing He goes there with me.” Perhaps Albert
Einstein said it best: “There are only two ways
to live your life: As if nothing is a miracle, or as
if everything is a miracle.”
My
sense of awe is expanding daily; I am recapturing the
wonder of childhood, which faded from my life when I
was told that if I wanted something good to happen,
I had to manipulate to get it. Now I know that something
good is always happening, and all I have to do is discover
it.
Recently
I was waiting in the checkout line at the local health
food store. In front of me was a little boy, perhaps
a year old, sitting in the seat of his mother’s
shopping basket. I caught the child’s eyes, and
he burst into a huge smile. Then he began to giggle
and wave his hands in ecstacy. This child was living
in pure bliss. At that moment it occurred to me that
his joy was not dependent on anything that was happening
around him. Waves of delight were just rolling up from
inside of him. He was thrilled to just be alive and
feel the presence of life in him, through him, as him.
Jewish
theologian Abraham Heschel wrote a wonderful book called
God in Search of Man. We do not have to search for God;
we just need to show up right where we are, and God
will find us. My fig miracle was not an exception to
the laws of life; it was the fulfillment of them. There
are an infinite number of figs to be enjoyed, and an
infinite number of ways they can reach us. “Wherever
I am, God is, and all is well.”
Alan
Cohen lives in Maui, Hawaii, and is the author of 14
popular inspirational books including the award-winning
A Deep Breath of Life. Visit Alan’s website at
www.alancohen.com, or call 800/568-3079.
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