Great Grace

 

“The words “gratitude” and “grace” come from the same root word, gratia in Latin. . . . “Grace” is a theological word, one with profound spiritual meaning. Grace means “unmerited favor.” When I think of grace, I particularly like the image of God tossing gifts around—a sort of indiscriminate giver of sustenance, joy, love, and pleasure. Grace—gifts given without being earned and with no expectation of return—is, as the old hymn says, amazing. Because you can neither earn nor pay back the gift, your heart fills with gratitude. And the power of that emotion transforms the way you see the world and experience life. Grace begets gratitude, which, in turn, widens our hearts toward greater goodness and love.” diane butler bass

On this Thanksgiving eve as I ponder the many blessings of life and pray that I be thankful enough, as though that is possible, I am struck by the quote above by Diane Butler Bass. I am struck by gratitude’s relationship to grace and its power to transform. 

I am transported by memory to a time in Honduras when after Hurricane Mitch my daughter and I joined a church group to help rebuild homes which had been destroyed. The conditions were bare and impoverished. The homes we were building mere cinder block. Long chains of humans lined up to hand heavy block one to one until a site had enough. My daughter being in her early teens found a different way to help; she became the pied piper for the village’s children. 

In harsh and deprived conditions what struck me day in and day out were the smiles, the joy, the gratitude. I remember thinking as we departed that their gratitude created an immense gratitude in us for the privilege to serve. It was great grace!

Happy Thanksgiving! May grace and gratitude flow...