“I do not at all understand the mystery of grace – only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us.” ~ Anne Lamott
We all have moments in our lives when we feel we are outside the Flow of Life, when it seems that we are disconnected from whatever our version of the Big Picture is.
Relationships end or never begin, jobs fall through, projects fail, things Just. Don’t. Work.
We’ve all been there; it seems as if it’s part of the human condition, and it’s easy to believe at these times that we are out of Grace.
Grace is frequently defined as “divine love and protection bestowed freely on people” or “a state of sanctification.” For me, it matters less where this sense of security, connection, and blessing come from, than the fact that we seem to universally, no matter what our belief system, identify when we feel in or out of it.
But I think our feelings are wrong.
A four year old who is afraid of the water may think that Mommy hates her, is angry with her, or doesn’t care about her when she makes her go to swimming lessons. Based on what this little one knows of the world and the filter of fear she is looking through, this might seem like a reasonable conclusion.
But Mommy is looking at the bigger picture – she knows it’s in her little one’s best interest to move beyond her fear, not only so that she is safe in the water, but also because conquering her fear will shape how she approaches future challenges.
I believe that we are never out of Grace; we simply perceive that we are.
We can’t see the bigger picture; we can’t know what future depends on us gaining knowledge and experience today. All we can do is try to stay present, act out of love rather than fear, and learn the lessons that present themselves.
I may have my head in the clouds, but my feet have always been firmly on the ground, so I’m willing to admit that there is a 50/50 chance that all of this is smoke and mirrors and pretty, pretty pictures. This was of looking at life may very well be a balm or a crutch, but it’s still a question of perception.
We can choose to believe that we are given opportunities to learn and grow and become more than we thought possible, or we can believe that “life sucks and then you die.” It’s a choice…
They say that optimists and pessimists are both right about the same amount of the time; optimists just have more fun.
Which lens will you choose?
“If grace is so wonderful, why do we have such difficulty recognizing and accepting it? Maybe it’s because grace is not gentle or made-to-order. It often comes disguised as loss, or failure, or unwelcome change.” ~ Kathleen Norris