Grace: An Advent Reflection

~by Ani Vidrine

photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash.com

How would my experience of life change

if I walked with an empty cup and open heart

unashamedly receiving the abundance freely given by

strangers, acquaintances, friends, and family

without feeling compelled to settle the score,

but instead acknowledging my need with gratitude for the provision?

I would experience life as a child,

powerless, and dependent,

yet filled with joy and wonder.

“We prefer to think of ourselves as givers — — powerful, competent, self-sufficient, capable people whose goodness motivates us to employ some of our power, competence, and gifts to benefit the less fortunate.” ~In The God We Hardly Knew by William Willimon

And by extension, I see that life is not about doing things the right way

so that I will be rewarded for being a good little girl,

for the love of a benevolent parent is unconditional.

No, presence in this moment

is about smiling to the extravagance of Love each day,

knowing that interdependence is the grand universal design.

Self-made, self-sufficient, and self improvement — — self, self, self — —

are the hallmarks of the American way

and the delusions of grandeur that perpetuate our spiritual suffering.

The Christmas story reminds us of the need for humility and deep trust

that the emptiness of a vacant womb will be filled

without the force of our will, attempt at managing things,

or by earning our worthiness,

but by grace.