Let’s take a moment to consider the phenomenon of grace in our lives. How does it feel to be visited by grace, how does it feel treat other person with an act of grace, how do we live gracefully?
Grace can be defined as: The bestowal of blessings without an apparent reason.
Visited By Grace
Being visited by grace is an uplifting experience, an experience that includes feelings of joy and relief, happiness, contentment and gratitude. A visit by grace is an embrace from the universe, a supportive acknowledgement and validation, a gift that is unexpected and unearned. Eloquently humble, grace is an allowance for possibilities, it is a vulnerable act of trust, it is a pure and unvarnished way to feel connected to something bigger than oneself. It short, it’s always a good thing to experience.
To apply reason or planning to grace would be confusing at best, because it’s an act that comes from meditation, simple self reflection, or possibly just being mindful in the right place at the right time. In a way, our lives and the joys of life are living examples of everything that grace represents. We haven’t done anything to “deserve” the gifts and pleasures in our lives, yet if we connect ourselves to the harmony of life, we can invite the opportunity for grace to begin its cycle in our lives.
The Gift Of Blessings
The beauty of grace is the symbiosis of giving and receiving. When we are bestowed with grace we only control our response, whether or not to receive, to accept this grace. As we learn to receive the grace granted in our lives hopefully we come to see that we have another choice… choosing to bestow the benefits of grace into the lives of others. Bringing the qualities that grace provides into the lives of others is truly one of the best gifts we can give.
Many times grace falls into our laps because of the selfless blessings that come from another, it feels good! Are we able to reciprocate? When we are able to see the benefits of ‘paying forward’ the grace we receive we can act on this wisdom. Giving freely takes empathy and compassion, it is unafraid because it is based in love. Its true power is its simplicity, this power is available to all of us at all times. However, it can’t be synthesized, if we were to forcibly try to create a life filled with grace it would likely look more like a business transaction rather than a selfless act of goodwill. It takes a person who deeply considers the well-being of someone else to give the blessing of help, support, or encouragement, anything else creates only a well orchestrated act of charity.
When we consider the many blessings and experiences of life, hopefully grace comes to mind. Not simply the word, but the action of grace, the action that asks us to represent the ideals of openness to receiving in concert with selflessness giving.
A Graceful Life
As humans, we know how easy it can be to misunderstand each other and quickly go to a place of condemning and blaming. We can be so petty and mean, inflicting the scrutiny of harsh judgement over each other by letting our egos run rampant over the ideas and feelings of others so our desire to be ‘right’ can be fed. It’s a challenge to be responsive instead of reactionary. With grace, may we be able to transcend these compulsions and cultivate a new elegance and dexterity, a continual practice of the art of graceful living.
When we ponder grace we get to know it better, we get to marvel in its wonder by identifying it throughout our experiences and growing gratitude. We begin to notice how grace manifests as a combination of presence and beauty flowing with apparent ease, it is an applied learning in a seemingly effortless motion of letting go into the acceptance of what is. As we strive to live gracefully, we must first remember that these are ideals that come into your heart by quietly pondering what grace means to you and your current life situation.
Take time to meditate on the word grace, notice it and let it take on meaning in your unique life, revealing the many ways that you can bestow blessings on those who you are in contact with.
The reason you give might not be apparent to those you choose to bless, but to you, it’s the gift that you can’t help but give, that comes from a heart that understands what grace truly means.
“Grace is not part of consciousness; it is the amount of light in our souls, not knowledge nor reason.”
–Pope Francis
If you would like to spread this idea, check out the Ponder Grace sticker today.
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