Today's 'thought' comes
to you from Gerald G. May, M.D.,
and is found in his book, "Addiction
and Grace - Love and Spirituality in the Healing of Addiction."He is a medical doctor and states up front, "you should keep in mind that although I consider myself a reasonably careful scientist, I am neither a trained theologian nor a scriptural scholar." This selection has to do with his understanding of grace, which he calls, "our ultimate security." Since he admits he is not a trained theologian he confesses, "I speak of grace with some fear and uncertainty," and admits that of all the topics in his book, he does the least justice to this topic. "All I can do is share some of my images, my own 'cellular representations' of the mystery that is grace."
Despite his own misgivings I thought his insights were helpful enough that I wanted to share them with all of you. Enjoy.
Images
of Grace
1.) "It is very
difficult to understand a mother's love. She loves her baby, finally, because
he or she is her baby... Ideally, an infant does not earn her parents love; the
parents love the baby first. Because of this preexisting love, the
parents care for their child. God 'graces' us in similar ways. There is grace
in the simple gift of our existence, in the opportunity to live consciously and
appreciatively in this world... in the natural steadiness of life, in the
simple things God gives us - beauty and breath and touches of love, just
as parents give their children food and warmth naturally, almost
automatically.
2.)
"There are also flowerings of grace that seem more eventful and
surprising, as when children find unexpected presents for no reason, or receive
extra hugs at times of failure and frustration. God attends to us in this way
too, surprising us with undeserved, unexpected goodness and empowering us
when all seems lost."
3.) "There is also grace in the rougher side of things, as in weaning, or when parents allow their children to struggle toward identity without constantly being taken care of. In a similar way, God lets us make our own decisions, even at times when we would much prefer to be taken care of. God blesses us with responsibility and the dignity it contains."
3.) "There is also grace in the rougher side of things, as in weaning, or when parents allow their children to struggle toward identity without constantly being taken care of. In a similar way, God lets us make our own decisions, even at times when we would much prefer to be taken care of. God blesses us with responsibility and the dignity it contains."
5.) "Many times, of
course, children try to please their parents in a manipulative way. As the
father of four, I have learned to
become suspicious when one of my offspring mows the lawn or washes the dishes
without being asked. I must admit, however, that I do the same thing with
God sometimes. I find myself posturing before my images of God, trying to make
something happen. But on other occasions, the desire to please is simple
and pure. It springs not from the desire to gain, but from that deep root where
love exists simply for the sake of love...
Human
parents can indeed be manipulated, and their loving responses can
be earned and achieved. But in God's intimacy every desire is known, every
thought and intention perceived before it even takes place. There can be no
secrecy between the soul and God, and therefore there can be no
manipulation."
6.) "God goes on
loving us regardless of who we are or what we do. This does not mean God is a
permissive human parent who makes excuses and ignores the consequences of
a child's behavior. Such permissiveness is more cowardly than loving, because
it devalues the child's capacity for dignity and responsibility. In God's
constantly respectful love, the consequences of our actions are very real,
and they can be horrible, and we are responsible. We are even responsible for
the compulsive behaviors of our addictions. The freedom that God preserves in
us has a double edge. On the one hand it means God's love and empowerment
are always with us. On the other, it means there is no authentic escape from
the truth of our choices. Yet even when our choices are destructive and their
consequences hurtful, God's love remains unwavering."
7.) "In every situation, grace enables us to make
necessary initial changes and to
continue, over time, to nurture those changes
in creative, constructive ways. God does not flash into our lives to work
a piece of magic upon us and then disappear. To do so would eradicate human
dignity. It would prevent our participation. Instead, God's grace is
always present intimately within us, inviting and empowering us toward more
full, more free exercise of will and responsibility... We are never
simply visited with a healing or deliverance which we can then safely forget.
Grace is not a pill we are given or a method applied to us so that we can
simply go about our business. Grace always invites us forward. Every liberation
requires continued attention, every healing demands continued care, every
deliverance demands follow-up, and every conversion requires
faithful deepening. If we do not respond to these ongoing calls, if
we deny our empowerment's for continued growth
in freedom and responsibility, our healing may well be stillborn.
Then, as in Jesus' words about evil spirits returning to a house swept
clean, our last condition may turn out to be worse than our first."
Since God interacts with us
on the basis of His grace in Jesus, there is surely no other 'mystery'
we need to seek to understand more. Hopefully his words, and the illustrations
he has used, have helped bring a bit more clarity to this often
misunderstood topic.
As Those Who
Are Fellow Recipients of That Unfathomable
Grace, Pastor
Jeff
