For many, grace is what you say before you eat. Or, it is the elegance displayed by a princess, a dancer, a bartender or server. For me, grace is the reason I know that we are made of light, that we are all part of something greater, something sacred and invisible.
We have always blessed our meals, giving thanks for the hands that prepared it. Maybe we have said, 'God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food,' with one of its million variations. I actually never understood why that was called grace. Perhaps it is simply the recognition of a force without which we may not have the option of eating at all!
When it comes to movement, I wish I could say I had grace, but I do not. I am clumsy and I lack depth perception. I never bothered serving food for a living, which might have garnered me some tips since I'm so friendly, but I knew I was highly likely to spill something, knock someone down or wind up paying some dry cleaning bills.
Accidents are a great example of what, on one hand, seems like a lack of grace, because of the dropping of whatever it is - an object, a duty, a metaphorical ball. If we are to avoid disasters, we must exercise due diligence, with grace and ease, in advance. A stitch in time saves nine.
But on the other hand, it is grace that allows us second chances. For example, if we were supposed to have died in an accident, but didn't, they say that was grace. You should have lost a limb, but you didn't. The fracture was one millimetre away from the place that would have paralyzed you for life.
We have heard many stories that end with, 'But by the grace of God, I am alive today.' In this way, I think of grace as unassuming super-glue.
Grace permeates a lifetime, yet it doesn't always have tangible elements. It is a divine characteristic reflected within us all.
Grace is like the tree branch that you just happen to grab on to at the perfect timing when otherwise you would be sent hurling down the rapids to your death. It's a lifeline, even when you don't think there is one.
Grace is the most valuable tool in our spiritual kit. Great theologians say that grace is the love that stoops - stoops to serve, stoops to help someone up, stoops to love the unlovable. It is there for the undeserving and for those who can't find the strength.
To exercise grace in daily life is to love those who seem unworthy. We should bless those who curse us, but remember we don't have to subject ourselves to abuse in order to do so. Grace allows us to send love back to those who would rather see us suffer.
What would be the point in cursing someone back? If anybody knew anything about karma, they'd be practicing grace a whole lot more. Grace can save us from 'bad karma' if we allow it to.
We can choose to forgive (regularly, automatically, vehemently) minor offenses 'like water off a duck's back' or instead of allowing the pain of anger, guilt, frustration or resentment. Major offenses are easier to handle if we don't sweat the small stuff, too.
Think of grace as the mechanism we use when we give someone the benefit of the doubt. It's the foundation of innocent perception.
Grace is a way of taking life in stride, yet it is a power available to us that can sometimes seem super human. To be able to forgive someone for hurting us or someone we love, whether intentional or not, is to call into one's life a truly magical ability.
I have been riding waves of grace my whole life and I will never stop.
How can you recognize grace in your life? I've said it before, but just a reminder: count your blessings, eat your veggies and don't forget to love people!
Sometimes we forget to give thanks, or to be careful, or even to be easy-going, but one thing about grace is that each and every moment is an opportunity to make up for the previous one.
May those who are found help those who are lost, may those who can see, help the blind. May those who ignore this calling be blessed anyway.
