As we move into February my invitation to you is to consider that your grace is enough. While the days are getting a bit longer there is still more darkness than light, winter blues of various colors and textures may be setting in. The thermometer has been dipping enough to make Mr. Freeze euphoric but many of us may be dreaming of a warm sunny getaway. We are also about one month out from new years resolutions or intentions set for the new year. Who thought new years was the right time for these changes? Honestly, I have never been a fan of new year’s resolutions. To me they suggest that we are inherently bad, slipping off the rails and need to right ourselves. This may or may not be the case, I know the theory of original sin speaks to this. Perhaps more on this in another blog. In reality shouldn’t we try to be living a healthy lifestyle, physically, mentally and spiritually every day? So, if you are beating yourself up over broken resolutions, please give yourself some grace.

But what is grace anyway? Let us consider some common definitions and applications of the word grace and see how they might assist with our current season and beyond. The dictionary often lists this one first; a quality of moving in a smooth, relaxed and attractive way. Often, we feel like we lack this quality as we stumble clumsily with our human and sometimes sedentary bodies. Perhaps we can apply this in a more mental or attitudinal way, in a way that encourages us to go with the flow and accept reality. As the masters have often said, when we fight with reality we suffer or pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

When it comes to cultivating grace within our bodies, my musing took me to the quote “If I rest, I rust” by Martin Luther. I have always been enamored by this phrase when trying to motivate my patients to exercise! But I am sure Martin Luther is speaking about moving with intention toward and for God. I searched Hebrews 12 and found some inspiration; Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. – Hebrews 12-1-2.

Paul the author of Hebrews goes on to say this, that seems to speak to modern day new year’s resolution makers! No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. – Hebrews 12:11-13. I am truly not trying to be a cheerleader and get you to the gym but when the Lord speaks!

Let us now consider the second application of the word grace: approval or kindness, especially (in the Christian religion) that is freely given by God to all humans or more eloquently put grace is the ongoing, benevolent act of God working in us. The word grace is found 170 times in the Bible and often references Gods character and the way he treats his people. Grace is an action and it’s the essence of God’s very nature. He always shows us favor even when we turn away from Him. Throughout the Bible, we see the God of the universe consistently finding ways to reconcile with his people. He loves us, and he does not forsake us. Paul speaks of this in Ephesians 2: 4-9:

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

This brings us to our third expression of grace which is a natural outpouring of the second. the quality of being pleasantly polite, or a willingness to be fair and honest: with good grace. As Christians this goes way beyond good manners and niceties. Because the word grace implies action, it is a perfect way for us to bring our faithful hearts into the world or as I often said in yoga class, take our yoga with us off the mat. As Martha Beck said “the way we do anything, is the way we do everything”. Jesus taking human form was the divine and perfect model for us to embody faith with grace. As my pastor said this week, “we are the gatekeepers of grace.” Because we believe and have a relationship with Jesus, he trusts us to bring his redeeming qualities to the world.

Of course, in our competitive world it is not always easy to act graciously. Grace is an intentional act of accepting someone as they are flaws and all. It’s about being kind to others, even if they don’t deserve it. Grace is unconditional and doesn’t have expectations. When you think of it, this is how God holds us in grace. We desire this for ourselves. So let us make a conscious effort to extend this act of grace to ourselves and others. Even those that are less desirable or grate on our nerves. The action required may simple be to hold our tongue! Or consider the other as a flawed child of God like you that could use your grace and compassion.

Later in Hebrews Paul says this: Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many- Hebrews 12:14-15. I simple love how the wisdom of the Bible from 2,000 years ago speaks perfectly to the modern mind and heart.

More wisdom from Father Dan, he tells us that “Grace transforms how we treat others.” So wise and true, the grace of God empowers us to treat others with kindness and compassion. However, we need to keep the lines of communication open with the Source of our unending grace. He goes as far as to say that “Grace disrupts natural human reaction.” Stop and reflect on his. The God of the universe has the power to transform our behavior. He knows through the centuries his people have been unruly, distrustful even malicious and YET he still intervenes in big and small ways. Many people with waning faith, justify their walking away with a curt what does God do to help our failing world? Well, I think he does so in the small and meaningful gracious ways he shapes us to be more like Christ. We can never model his level of graciousness, but He is rooting for us.

When reflecting on the word grace, my mind returned to a favorite book by a modern-day mystic. Just the title of the book breaths comfort: Falling into Grace by Adyashanti. Adyashanti says this: Essentially, we fall into grace. By that I mean that a certain mysterious quality reveals itself and cradles us within an intimacy with all of existence. This is something that many people are looking for without even knowing it. Almost everybody is looking for intimacy—a closeness, a sense of union with their own existence or with God. All this yearning actually comes from our longing for closeness, intimacy, and true union. When we open to life in this way, we begin to find an inner stability simply because we’re no longer at odds with our experience.

To be honest, this is my felt experience of grace. When I give myself the time (the grace) to pause and breath I feel enveloped in the loving presence of God. There is nothing for me to do or achieve. He just wants to be with me. Often this pause is all that is required for grace to seep into my heart, my being, my actions. Just this. I am loved by a gracious God and this enables me to have true intimacy with the present moment. From this place where grace is more than enough, I can have human but God-soaked experiences from which I can great the world, all of it, not just the warm fuzzy parts, with an open heart. This inner stability that Adyashanti speak of is rooted in God’s faithful grace and helps up to endure and flourish in all seasons.