Do You Believe In Miracles?

Do you believe?

So many people, especially merchants trying to sell us on the magic of Christmas shopping, tell us if we only believe in something, it will happen. Macy’s even has the word “Believe” plastered across its Christmas shopping bag.

Baloney on believe – in spite of what Denver Bronco quarterback Tim Tebow says. One of my nephews has even promised to convert to Christianity if the Broncos win the Super Bowl. Don’t worry, it ain’t gonna’ happen this year.

This whole believe thing reminds Sam and I of the deal where you have to suspend disbelief when you read a fiction novel, because the action in the novel COULD happen. Well sorry people, you can believe all you want in something but there is such a thing as reality too. Hello?

I’m not saying I don’t believe in miracles, I do. In fact, I myself am a walking talking miracle because I have narrowly escaped death six times. Yes, I said six times. I remember every instance very well. Sometimes I wonder if I’m a cat. I’m hoping I still have three lives left to go.

The problem I have with this “believe” thing going around is the potential for extreme disappoint it engenders. I mean, little kids really think they can become professional sports superstars if they only believe. Many people – American Idol and Dancing with the Stars contestants – think they can make it to the big time in show biz if they only believe hard enough. Never mind that they can’t carry a tune in a bucket. Of course Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan and Andy Williams weren’t great singers either, so what do I know?

But the problem is, no matter how good you are at something and no matter how hard you believe, you can’t always run the fastest, jump the highest, dance the best or act in an Oscar winning movie. For every success story of somebody believing in something and achieving a lofty goal, there are hundreds or thousands of hard luck stories of people who didn’t get what they wanted. Our mental institutions are full of them and doctors dispense millions of little pills to quell the depression brought on by disappointment.

Luck often plays a bigger role in life than believing does. You think you can win the Lottery just by believing? DON’T believe it. You think you can get a date with that handsome hunk or win the hand of that beautiful blonde cheerleader just because you believe hard enough? Fool! It is good to believe and to try to achieve. Just don’t sell yourself short when it doesn’t happen because odds are the thing you want to achieve probably isn’t going to happen. If you shoot for the moon and only hit an asteroid, that’s still an accomplishment. Hard work and a lot of luck may combine to get you what you want, but simply believing you’ll arrive at the triumphant goal line of life just might not make it