...How sweet the sound
Which saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now am found
Was blind but now I see."
Was blind but now I see."
"According to the Christian tradition, grace is not earned. Grace is not merited. It’s not something we deserve. Rather, grace is the free and benevolent favor of God -- as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings. Grace." These were the words of our President Barack Obama in his eulogy for Rev. Clementa Pickney of Charlotte, SC.
Grace is forgiveness and kindness. Grace is compassion and courage. Grace is justice and fortitude. It is all these things and more. It is about good will and the desire for life for others. It is about what can be rather than past injustice. It is solace and truth telling simultaneously.
Grace simply is. It is without merit. It is without desire. It is without labor. It simply is, just as God simply is.
We rarely experience pure grace because grace is so rare. We catch glimpses. We receive snippets. We taste it through acts of forgiveness and live in it when we forgive others.
I think that God's desire for all of creation that we breathe in grace and thus live in grace. That is what authentic life looks like; that's the life that awaits us with Jesus.
But for now, breathe and give thanks.
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