July 3, 2003
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What's So Amazing About Grace?
A friend of mine riding a bus to work oeverheard a conversation between the young woman sitting next to him and her neighbor across the aisle. The woman was reading Scott Peck's The Road Less Traveled.
"What are you reading?" asked the neighbor.
"A book a friend gave me. She said it changed her life."
"Oh yeah, what's it about?"
"I'm not sure, some sort of guide to life. I haven't gotten very far yet." She began flipping through the book. "Here are the chapter titles: 'Discipline, Love, Grace -"
The man stopped her. "What's Grace?"
"I don't know. I haven't gotten to Grace yet."
Philip Yancey
The word grace comes from a Greek word - charis. Kind of looks like grace doesn't it? It's the same word from which we get our English word charisma. Charis is a wonderful word, its root, chairo, means rejoice. A grace is that which brings joy. It is a gift, an act of kindness, pleasure, gratification, acceptance, benefit - freely given with no expectation of return.
Grace comes in all different guises. In music grace notes are written tiny, not counted in the beat of the measure, which add excitement and flavor to the score. In life, grace notes are the subtle additions of joy, compassion and wonder. Grace can come in the form of an intended offering from one person to another, or in the chance word casually overheard but significant to the hearer.
Walking in this world I may not always recognize that I'm surrounded by grace. But grace doesn't depend upon my recognition of it in order for it season my day. In fact, I think it's a special grace sometimes that I'm allowed to see the grace that upholds me.
Comments (12)
Grace? Nope never dated Grace....
HA!
Sail on... sail on!!!
Well, that would explain why we say 'grace' at our house. That way, at least once a day we're aware of just how blessed our lives are.
Thanks for sharing this bloggie! I believe grace is often there, we just need to notice... I suppose that noticing it is grace of another sort. Yes, grace floats us ~ WOOT!
Grace notes: Life's crescendos small things that make a moment explode with beauty.
Thanks for sharing
Love and Light
Mara
I agree totaly with this definition Terri .
I will add in french the word has also other meanings when it comes from the latin gratias .( thanks ) .
Love
Michel
Gracias!
Is that the root of Graceful - as in what I look like tripping over my feet?
Grace is definately a wonderful word! And boy do we need it!
Grace - we are all in need of it.
o/
I always thought of grace in a more mundance way - merely as unmerited favor. I need toopen my mind up a little more to the awesome in life, eh?
Happy Independence Day.
Love and Light
Mara
I didn't mind you ranting in my space! Why a year though? You sound to be a very, very patient person!
There was a mechanic who had a dog called Mace who ate all the grass, so he was generally kept locked up in the house.
One day the mechanic was fixing a car in his yard and he lost a wrench in the long grass. He couldn't find it anywhere, eventually he gave up and went inside.
Next morning he went outside and found the grass eaten to the ground - Mace had escaped! And there was his wrench glinting in the sunlight.
He raised his eyes to heaven, and said: Amazing Mace, how sweet the hound, that saved the wrench for me....
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