Showing Grace to others

Ways in which we can show Grace to others …

Be there for others with curiosity. We are all interesting miracles of creation.

Listen deeply for what people are trying to say. Listen to what your more authentic self is trying to say. Show Grace with words - a handwritten note, a simple text, a poem. Make it visible. Show Grace with deeds, however simple - like sitting with people and listening to their stories and pain, providing a meal, inviting someone for a walk, or offering a prayer over the phone. Be forgiving. Show that love is higher than judgment or opinion. Ask for forgiveness. You deserve it too. Do not judge. Instead, ask helpful questions that help others to explore what may need changing. Show gratitude. It affirms and reinforces the goodness others are trying to offer. Bear witness. Affirm the truth and do not befriend untruth. Advocate for what is just (which comes from listening to your truer self).

“Now you have to forgive me because these grounded and practical ways of showing Grace remind me of yet another one of my favorite quotes,” chipped in Joel with a grin. “Teilhard de Chardin, a Catholic theologian, said, ‘We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.’ That is living day-to-day with Grace, even in ordinary and mundane ways like Eloise did, or in more active ways like Gary's wife or the nun. They are all living faithfully, gracefully and spiritually.” “I like that,” responded Amy, “because it means that we don't confine our spiritual lives to Sundays and bible studies but can live and act spiritually every day. Perhaps Grace is the doorway to that.” That seemed to put a satisfying full stop to the conversation. It was getting late. Paula called for the bill while Amy and Joel put on their jackets. Paula turned to her friends as they left the restaurant to go their separate ways. “Thank you, dear friends, for this conversation. I feel we have offered so much Grace to each other here today. Let's do this again soon!”

Teilhard de Chardin, a Catholic theologian, said, 'We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.’