“Grace is something you can never get but can only be given,” writes the pastor and writer Frederick Buechner in his book Wishful Thinking. It comes in surprising forms like “the taste of raspberries and cream” or “good dreams.” Graces comes without asking or maybe even wanting it in a good cry or in “the smell of rain on the grace.” It comes in love. It most definitely comes in love.
You have to take it, he cautions. It comes as a gift especially when it comes from God. That kind of grace, he explains, that comes from God “means something like: ‘Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are, because the party wouldn't have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It's for you I created the universe. I love you.’"
Indeed, terrible things have happened. Many of us are struggling to find the beauty in the world even as we deeply feel the fragility of all life. It has put me on edge. My temper has flared. My patience is short. All of this stress and worry has not been good for me and I’m beating myself up for the things I could have done and should have said. I’m lamenting that there isn’t enough that I can do to heal the world’s pains. I’m not fully believing in the gift of grace for myself.
Our shared practice this month is not to commit to understanding this gift of grace. That is far too much for one month but instead to find it in ourselves to notice when we deny ourselves from receiving this gift from God and spend some time wiggling around in the mystery and wonder of being so loved by God.
Notice what obstacles and barriers you construct around yourself to prevent God’s endless love to take hold of you.
Frame your face in the bathroom mirror with reminders of God’s love. Start with a stack of Post-Its. Write one thing God loves about you on each Post-It. Recite these things aloud as you brush your teeth or wash your face to remember God’s love for you.
Light a candle any time fear overwhelms and make space to listen to this song.
Bring curiosity into the things that frustrate you enough to wonder what it says about what you love when this particular thing is frustrating you so much. Does God love like you do?
Recall all of the people that love you. Make a list, as it helps.
Read 1 John 4 before you go to sleep at night.
Pay attention to the ways you sell yourself short and listen for what God believes to be true about you.
Feel God’s embrace surrounding and holding you.
This practices might feel like a lot of tiny prayers rather than one fluid movement. Grace might just be like that. It’s scattered all around us. It’s buried within us and our challenge is to take hold of each little bit and savor it. It is a practice of a thousand tiny movements. As you are inspired to do so, please share in the comments below your experience of this practice.
As you enter into this November practice, here are some questions for reflection and prayer.
How are able to hold onto the gift of grace for longer than a moment?
When do you get stuck and unreceptive to God’s good grace?
How does God love you best?
I really appreciated this collection of spiritual practices, actions and reflections from Spirituality + Practice entitled For Such a Time as This in response to the complexity of all that is happening in Israel and Palestine. I also really loved this post about being daunted by all these things as well as the Ann Weems prayer I don’t ever recall reading. Perhaps because I needed it most now.
“Our prayer, our devotion, our praise—these rewire us. They enable us to see, hear, and think in new ways. What we worship makes us who we are,” writes Debie Thomas in this thought-provoking essay on worship in the Christian Century. I find myself wondering what it is I worship especially as I try to practice grace.
In just a few weeks, Advent will begin and I’m offering an opportunity to do something with your hands each day. To make this year feel different by making something each day. To share in this experience of Tangled Advent, you’ll need to become a paid subscriber of Prayer Threads.
If you are interested in spiritual direction and are interested in a first conversation with me, please reach out or go ahead and book an appointment here. I am currently welcoming new directees and would be delighted to explore the holy threads of this life with you.