Moments of Grace

I've been thinking about the well-worn phrase, "There, but for the grace of God, go I." I don't think it's used as commonly today as it was in the past, yet the sentiment is still expressed, especially during times of great crisis such as that being faced by the people of Haiti.

It's meant, I believe, to remind us to be grateful for the blessings in our life - and gratitude for blessings is something I wholeheartedly endorse! - yet there is something about it that bothers me. Maybe not the phrase itself, but the faint aroma of pity that often accompanies it. It's as if the person going through a challenge or crisis is somehow outside of God's grace, and we can only stand back and watch in horror, thankful that we're not walking in their shoes - and thankful that we are the beneficiaries of God's grace, even though others are not. Whew, we dodged that bullet! Now if only we can make it to the end of our lives without having to experience anything like that... We hope we'll continue to be lucky, since grace appears to be rather capricious.

I'll be the first to admit that an experience of grace is something we cannot plan, force or expect; it comes as a great gift from realms beyond our human understanding - a mysterious, unspeakably tender yet powerful revelation of the divine mind and sacred heart within us. It is, paradoxically, both humbling and expansive - and it is also, much to our confusion and frustration, as brief and swift as lightning. We cannot control it, and we cannot hold onto it. We can only be open to receive it.

And we are all, each and every one of us, worthy of receiving grace. It is not bestowed only on the lucky few who have proven themselves in some way, because inherent worth has no need of proof. Grace cannot be earned or bargained for. It is not a reward for good behavior, and its apparent absence is not a punishment for wrongdoing.

I've come to believe that grace is both a reflection of, and a catalyst for, our awakening to the greater truth of our innate divinity and worth. It shakes loose the grip of our conditioned, fear-based view of the world and reveals something wondrous, magnificent and yet inexplicably simple. It lightens our load. Grace opens us to healing and forgiveness in a way we didn't even know we needed.

And grace has many faces; it can be experienced in moments that are silent and still, and also in moments of great chaos and confusion. It shows up in the very form and timing that uniquely serve our growth. It is intensely personal, which means we are not equipped to discern moments of grace for others; we can only be open to recognizing grace-filled moments in our own lives.

Which brings me back to, "There, but for the grace of God..." When we see others who are going through times of great struggle, I think we honor them not by assuming they have somehow fallen outside of God's grace, but by remembering that they, like we, are already worthy of grace - and that grace may indeed be present in the situation, even if we can't see it. We honor them by ackowledging not just their fear and pain, but also their nobility and courage. And of course we honor them by helping them in whatever way we are called.

And we honor grace itself by recognizing it in our lives, however brief or infrequent it appears to be. In those moments we can say, "Here I am, in the grace of God." And we can be very grateful - not because grace chose us over someone else, but because grace exists.