Net Miles Of Smiles

You may remember the old Flip Wilson routine when someone asked the
comic about his religion. He answered, “I am a Jehovah’s Bystander.”
“A Jehovah’s Bystander?” remarked his friend. “I never heard of a
Jehovah’s Bystander.”

Flip said, “Well, they asked me to be a witness, but I didn’t want to
get involved.”

In these troubled times, I think Edmund Burke is right. “The only
thing necessary for the triumph of evil,” he says, “is for good men to
do nothing.”

We can complain about injustices, we can lament the suffering of the
world and even feel sorry for the helpless plight of others. Or we can
do what we can, even if it’s only a little.

Theodore Roosevelt read a book by New York newspaperman Jacob Riis
titled HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVES. We often think of the “other half” as
living in luxury. The other half are those who are powdered and
pampered. The rich and famous. Movers and shakers.

But the book did not describe the wealthiest few of society. Instead
it described the slums of the city, with all its vice and crime.
Families living in poverty and fear - too afraid to leave their homes
after dark. The other half, said Riis, were the poor among us.

Theodore Roosevelt was moved to action. He went at once to the

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I AM THE LIGHT AFTER THE STORM
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For thou has been a strength to the poor,
a strength to the needy in his distress,
a refuge from the storm, a shadow from
the heat. — Isaiah 25:4

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Elegant Blessings
Living A Life Of Grace

Grace exists inside of all of us and around us. It is our inner beauty that radiates outward, touching everyone we meet. It is that unseen hand that comes from the divine, raising us up when we most need it. To be able to live in a state of grace is not based on worthiness, nor is it earned through good deeds, ritual, or sacrifice. Rather it is an unearned favor, freely bestowed and available to all, that is inherent to our birthright. All we must do is open our eyes to its presence and we will find and experience grace everywhere.

Grace is in the rain bringing relief to drought-ridden farms, and the unexpected lead for the perfect job opportunity that comes from a stranger. Grace is what happens to someone when they miraculously escape injury; it is even the simple events that happen to us that we call “good luck,” like when we don’t get a parking ticket after our meter has expired. Grace resides in the love between two people, the gift or check that comes unexpectedly in the mail, the cozy comforts that make up a home, and in the acts of forgiveness we bestow upon others. It is grace that moves us to go out of our way to help a stranger. In music, a grace note is the pause between notes that is so important to the pacing of a song. Grace is the state we are in when we are doing nothing but just being who we are.

When we accept that we always exist in a state of grace, we are able to live our lives more graciously. Knowing we are graced gives us hope, makes us more generous, and allows us to trust that we are taken care of even when we are going through difficult times. Grace is our benevolence of heart, and our generosity of spirit. Grace is unconditional love and the beauty that is our humanity. When we know that we are blessed with grace, we can’t help but want to live our lives in harmony.

What do you think?

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We may not be able to give much but we can always give

the joy that springs in a heart that is in love with God.

-Mother Teresa

Comments (0) Sep 26 2008

“In the heat of action, the mere ability to remember our principles,
our goals and the specific reasoning behind the course
we have taken is an element of courage.”
– Robert Grudin

Comments (0) Sep 26 2008