Thinking From The End, “But for the grace of God go I”

Walking the way we talk. When we espouse one thing but act in a contrary manner not only does it make us look untrustworthy but also opens the door to all manner of spiritual disease and a seeming disconnect from reality. Wishing to be happy but seeding unhappiness, wanting to be loved but unwilling to demonstrate love, demanding respect while being disrespectful, holding truth and fairness as essential while speaking falsely and treating others unfairly are all examples of spiritual disease. Demonstration in conflict with intention. These are gross examples, easily identifiable and addressed if the individual wishes to change in truth and if they do not, we see them for what they are and turn in prayer to assist them.

Then there are the more subtle forms; condescension and self-aggrandizement couched in seemingly well-intended asides, comments and actions. One of which, which I found particularly painful since I had used it often was “But for the grace of God go I.” The phrase always made me a little uneasy, though for years I could not suss out why. When the truth finally hit I became physically ill and spiritually unsettled. Consider the full import of the phrase: it implies there are those beyond God’s grace! And fortunately I'm not one of them!  Really? That some are “chosen” in some way, greater in God‘s sight than another? How could that be possible? I wrestled with this for a time, looking for a loophole to crawl through, but they all ended in the same place, base condescension and the spiritually corrosive “holier than thou” sensibility.

Wayne Dyer has suggested we “think from the end.” He had yet to put the concept in print when I applied it to the above, but that is the essence of it.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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