The first time I encountered a card trick, it was magical. The first trick was from Susan the babysitter. Looking back, she may have done it as a way of making me think she had powers.
I was amazed at what just transpired before my very eyes and wanted to see it again and again. I saw it and wanted more. When you encounter something that’s magic, you want more.
The cards seemed to magically change. Susan was suddenly ‘the master of the cards’ with her ability to read them. The magic amazed me and changed the relationship. Susan wasn’t just the babysitter, she had ‘magic’ powers.
Eventually, I learned some of those very tricks. Anytime I use them, the audience reacts with a sense of wonder with their mouths wide open. Being on the other side of the ‘magic’ things look very different. The audience experiences ‘wow’, while I see the result of practicing a skill.
When couples come to see me with their marriage problems, they often want a magic experience. They want sudden improvements that provide that sense of ‘wow’. Whether they call it magic or ‘a miracle, it boils down to wanting sudden, immediate change.
Who wouldn’t want something that suddenly changes behavior for the better with little to no effort?
‘Real changes’, the kind that last don’t happen suddenly. If the change is a lasting one that is for the better, it takes time. Those changes come from skills that are learned and practiced until they become habits.
Things like manners and respect are skills that improve with practice. They make marriage run much smoother. Outsiders may see what they view as the magic in your marriage, but in reality its skills you have practiced over and over.
The biggest positive change comes from forgiveness. Forgiveness, when done correctly, changes you at a deep level. The more you practice it, the better you become.
At first, it requires effort and practice. The more you forgive, the more you discover little things that upset you. That’s part of why forgiveness is called a process.
It takes time for the healing effects of forgiveness to work its way through your memories and hurts. Like the hundreds of scrubbing bubbles cleaning your bathroom, it takes time for forgiveness to scrub its way through your hurts.
When others see the change in you, they may view it as ‘magic’ or a miracle’. That’s because they don’t understand ‘real’ forgiveness.
The video, “Forgiveness: Stop the Pain, Tear down the Walls and Remove the Roadblocks” guides you through what’s involved with forgiveness. The more you practice it, the better you’ll get. Click the link, fill out the form and start your own transformation.
Best Regards,
Jeff
