Thought for the week: GRACE, WHERE ARE YOU?

When I was little and I would hear people talking about Grace, I always thought it was a little girl that they couldn’t find.  As I grew up and understood life a bit more, I have realized that I also often ask: “Grace, where are you?”….

I’m asking for the grace to be patient, the grace to be brave (yes, especially when flying or encountering crawling creatures), the grace to try and discern what is God’s will for me, the grace to be strong, the grace to forgive, the grace to be kind and merciful…. and the list goes on and on and on.  Many times when I was little, I often wondered if I received grace, would that deprive someone else?  I never wanted to be selfish and I certainly never wanted to receive more than my share.  And yet, when I’d find myself in a tough situation, I would still pray for grace, even if I got a “little” more on a given day.

Then, I grew up, as the saying goes and realized something that Sarah Ban Breathnoch once said: “Grace is available for each of us every day – our spiritual daily bread – but we’ve got to remember to ask for it with a grateful heart and not worry about whether there will be enough for tomorrow. “

I’ve also realized that asking for grace on a daily basis keeps me humble and aware of the little tiny corner of the universe that I occupy.  I’ve also realized that I partner my prayers for grace with a prayer of gratitude- a gratitude that recognizes I’ve been blessed to occupy a little corner of creation.

I wish I could say that the blessing of grace keeps me calm and serene, but that’s not the case on many days.  I think my assistant, Suzanne and Sr. Steph must feel like a tornado blew in many days when I walk in the door.  So, I pray for the grace of calm and serenity.

I wish I could say that the blessing of grace helps me to confront my fears, but that’s rarely the case.

I wish I could say that the blessing of grace has helped me ” to let go and let God”, but anyone who knows me, knows that God and I tussle that out often.

I wish I could say that the blessing of grace has helped me to shield myself from hurtful criticisms or wounds to my ego, but that would also not always be the case.

I wish I could say that the blessing of grace has gifted me with the “no worries” trait, but that is definitely not true.

So, while many of you probably have figured out this whole spiritual gift of grace, I continue to seek grace, pray for grace and hope I eventually have enough to get me through today.

So, while I know Grace is not a “missing child”, I also know Grace needs to be sought and searched for….and that I must pray for the gift of GRACE every single day.

And so, here’s the thing:  As 49 of us leave on Mission # 69 this week, I ask for Grace for each of us and I ask that we might be graceful and grateful in our efforts to serve those in great need.  May we all be blessed with the knowledge that this all unfolds because of Grace!

Please join me in the prayer of protection, which I firmly believe is one way that Grace enters our lives:

So, I think we may have just found Grace!

Live and Be HOPE this week.

Sr. Debbie Blow, OP