A MESSAGE ABOUT GRACE
When I hear the word grace, I usually think of my super awesome niece Gracie and then I smile.
But this week, the word grace seemed to follow me around, coming up in multiple coaching sessions, as a theme of a podcast I listened to, and in one of my prayers for a friend fighting his cancer battle. The universe was clearly asking me to pick up and pass on a message about grace, so here are my thoughts.
There are many different interpretations of the word grace, that are inclusive of forgiveness, kindness, mercy, and poise. To start wrapping my head around the nuances of the meaning, I considered the type of people who came to mind when I thought about grace.
Mother Teresa: A wonderful administrator of God’s grace, relentlessly loving the unloved, the lonely and the last, with all that she was, every single day. All the while she was grateful to be able to serve.
Nelson Mandela: A man of great purpose, understanding and forgiveness, even when faced with years of great personal injustice. He brings the element of mercy into his grace.
Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy: Two women who always held their heads high, with poise, togetherness, respect, and a peaceful confidence, that defines graceful for many of us.
Upon consideration of these graceful individuals, I began to picture grace as an evolution. It begins with love, kindness and patience, which fosters understanding, forgiveness and mercy, and culminates into the embodiment of peace and joy that come from spreading goodwill.
When we give grace to others we make an effort to empathize; human to human. We remember that every one of us is doing the best we can with what we’ve got in that particular moment. We are all connected in our imperfection, and the understanding that we are each still a masterpiece in progress. Don’t ever discount the influence of compassion.
Many of us could also stand to extend a bit of grace to ourselves. Simply said - sometimes we need to just give ourselves a break. Ruminating over or feeling guilty for our mistakes, keeps us stuck in the past, leaving us feeling exhausted and stuck. Forgiving ourselves gives us the freedom to move forward and brings with it the energy and motivation we may have been searching for. This freedom is up to us, all we have do to is start by showing ourselves a little bit of mercy.
So how do we bring more grace in our lives? Start with sincere introspection, and ask questions such as:
Where are some spaces in my life where I could stand to show a little more grace (understanding, perspective, forgiveness)?
How does my energy shift when I approach things with an empathetic lens?
What is a merciful mantra I can embody when I need to give myself a break? (Consider speaking to yourself the same way you would speak to your best friend.)
It is my hope that this message brings clarity to the power of grace, and the simple steps to you can take make it part of your daily practice.
Uncle Jessie of Full House fame often used the expression, “Have mercy.” Matty can’t get through 5 minutes of an episode of Full House without saying, “Man that Uncle Jessie is a babe!” Contact Matty if you are interested in discussing either the beauty of grace or the beauty of John Stamos.
