Grace that lifts us to who we are

On a flight back from a recent trip, I was overwhelmed with feelings of inadequacy and disappointment. The trip had been so pleasant up until the last night, when I felt I’d handled something poorly with someone very important to me. I couldn’t seem to shake the intense feeling that my falling short had ruined the whole trip and possibly had a major negative impact on the relationship.

Hoping that my seatmates wouldn’t notice the tears streaming down my cheeks, I offered a somewhat desperate mental prayer to God for comfort and strength during the five-hour flight ahead.

The idea came to read some from a book about grace that I could access on my iPad. I didn’t feel particularly enthused to read about a Christian theological concept at that moment, but I went ahead and started a chapter. And it turned out that the book’s stories of love being lavished on seemingly undeserving people were just what I needed.

The book shares modern-day parables that hark back to those that Jesus shared in the Gospels. For instance, in Luke 15, Jesus tells of a shepherd who loses one of his 100 sheep and leaves the 99 others to go and find that one. On the surface, this behavior might seem reckless. But the shepherd finds this sheep, and he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices at bringing it home.

Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Monitor, referred to grace as “the effect of God understood” (“Christian Science versus Pantheism,” p. 10). This points to grace as a real and tangible blessing bestowed by our all-loving God.

The Bible speaks of man and woman as the image of God, so understanding God must also mean understanding something about ourselves. If we truly are the image, or reflection, of the one God, who is pure goodness, then wouldn’t this mean that we are entirely good, too – not pathetically horrible, as I initially felt on that flight?

Since God is Spirit, it follows that our true essence is completely spiritual and good, rather than defined by negative, mortal traits and behaviors we can’t seem to overcome. Learning to see ourselves and others from this perspective liberates us from limitations that hinder healthy lives and constructive relationships.

The profound power of grace to me is that, while it often appears to be something we don’t deserve, it has a way of lifting us to see our innate value as anchored in who God is and, therefore, who we are as reflections of divine Love. In effect, it reveals our true worthiness of God’s love – and equips us to think and act from that renewed understanding.

That’s what happened for me while I was up above the clouds on that plane. I felt God’s grace lifting my thought to a clearer view of myself in God’s eyes: not as miserable and mistake-prone but as spiritual – and free to learn and progress in my understanding of this encouraging idea.

By the end of the flight I felt comforted and much more hopeful about my ability to address relationship challenges and other obstacles I was facing. Future interactions with the loved one I had visited were harmonious and peaceful, and my confidence in everyone’s God-given ability to express grace continues to grow.

Knowing that we are in fact worthy of the love bestowed by our divine creator – who consistently reveals our inherent goodness – enables us to understand that creator and ourselves a little better, lifting us to be who we already are and to be gracious to ourselves and others in fresh and inspiring ways.