“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, a demonstration in conflict with stated intention. These are gross examples, easily identifiable and addressed if an individual truly wishes to change.

Then there are the more subtle forms; condescension and self-aggrandizement couched in seemingly well-intended verbal 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 suggests we “think from the end.” Applying this concept here, no one stands above another and if we believe that in anyway anyone is beyond Grace, then we set ourselves up for a life of disharmony at odds with the truth of being.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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