I've heard many a preacher state that God gives us the grace! It is not our choice to get one. It is solely God's gratuitous gift. Well, I'm not talking about the puritanic bent of this concept but the usual and the normal "balanced" perception of 'grace'.
Frankly, I try hard to recollect my theology classes on 'grace' but am yet to succeed! However, I have a slightly different take on this idea. I really don't think, God gives me graces! No, not ready-made packages of virtues or gifts. Certainly not my God! I believe and love my God who in turn gives me not such gifts but rather gives me the possibility of receiving such graces.... the ability to understand the grace and the skill to cherish it. In short, He gifts me with freedom to make my own choices... with knowledge to sift the choices and the loving support to cherish the choices I make and the wisdom to know the wrong choices I make.
Frankly, I try hard to recollect my theology classes on 'grace' but am yet to succeed! However, I have a slightly different take on this idea. I really don't think, God gives me graces! No, not ready-made packages of virtues or gifts. Certainly not my God! I believe and love my God who in turn gives me not such gifts but rather gives me the possibility of receiving such graces.... the ability to understand the grace and the skill to cherish it. In short, He gifts me with freedom to make my own choices... with knowledge to sift the choices and the loving support to cherish the choices I make and the wisdom to know the wrong choices I make.
hmm.. I know jack about the theological aspects of grace and what the church's position is or whatever but i believe that almost everything is god's grace.
ReplyDeleteYour god gives you as much grace as me and then what you make of it, opens it up further. Like the talents in the parable. None of them deserved the talents as such but they had capability in varying degrees and in freedom and knowledge, they used what they were given to whatever extent they wanted. Accordingly, more graces/talents were added to them. It is still grace.. maybe earned to a slight degree and always with the addendum of responsibility.
Sometimes, makes you wonder if it's unfair. I mean, did those people ask for those talents? And yet the master holds them responsible for them.
When i look around at nature or when i am aware of my breathing or my body, I totally believe in grace. Because I cannot understand why else. The dancer just dances because s/he feels a dance rising up. And so, the leaf unfurls and the flower blossoms and the baby smiles.