I want to talk about....grace.
It's not just about valuing the presumably undeserving. Because, let's face it...lately we have become so preoccupied with focusing on the great divide that is our country that everyone seems to have a way of justifying a righteous mentality.
No, I want to talk about grace in terms of what we are missing. Grace is not dependent on political affiliation, social status, intelligence, or wealth. Grace is an offering of parts of ourselves that we have to dig deep to get to in an effort to understand imperfection is not a deviation from measured worth. Grace is a heart job. And it is our responsibility to swallow our pride long enough to understand that grace heals. It is a common ground, where the language is universal and the outcome is where we truly understand the concept of humanity.
Grace is hard though. It is an inherent attribute that we often overlook due to our hasty and impulsive reactions to when we feel we are wronged. Demanding fairness as a way to satisfy our anger, usually with overt rhetoric doused in a tone that commands justification for how we feel. Without the guidance of grace, we get animosity, pride, division, and....we get nowhere, honestly.
The absence of grace is nothing short of neglectful. We rob ourselves of the chance to practice acceptance, forgiveness, and opportunity. More importantly, we reinforce to others that they matter less. That they are somehow not deserving of decency. We all have struggles. We all experience hardships. We all have our own way of coping with the pressures that arise from those trials. And not ONE of us can deny that we have projected our feelings onto others, have demonstrated foul reactions, and have said some unnecessarily hurtful things during those times. So, why do we have such a hard time accepting that others do the same?
Grace is willful. Grace is intentional. It is about admitting our part in the wrongdoings and holding ourselves accountable to do what we can to handle it with compassion and mercy. I am not delusional... I understand that all attempts aren't going to result in harmony. We cannot hold ourselves responsible for other's receptivity, reciprocity, or forgiveness. What I am saying is that we ARE responsible for demonstrating grace in an effort to teach, guide, model, and reinforce resolution in the midst of divide.
Stop wasting your energy defending yourself to people who are not at a place to understand you. Instead, appreciate where they are in their life at this time and tell them you are there if they need to talk about those struggles. Stop spending your time in anger. Instead, concede to what you cannot control, and dig deep to remember you have so much to be grateful for. Stop making enemies. Instead, make room for people who are different than you so that you can understand that co-existence isn't something that is deserved, it is something that is necessary. Stop always assuming you are right. Instead, understand that it isn't always a right or wrong situation... sometimes it is merely an issue of difference. Just because your top three values aren't the exact same as mine, it doesn't mean we are any less of a human than the other. We may not agree, we may have a really hard time understanding each other...BUT that doesn't mean that we will never evolve into understanding and practicing those values at some point.
We are ever-evolving. Grace has to evolve with us. Grace has a place at every table, in every home, in every heart, and in every decision that we make. If at first we don't respond with grace, there is no resolve until we do. Recognizing grace from others is a mandate to respond with the same sentiment. It is easy for us to meet anger with anger. I wish it was just as easy to meet grace with grace.
May grace be within you, may grace be upon you, and may grace be heavily embedded in our communities.
Much love and joy,
Beth
