Monthly Reflection

Grace and Ease

In Wayne Muller’s book Legacy of the Heart, he reminds us that our inherent busyness and fast-track lives impedes the recognition of states of grace: “Brother David Steindl-Rast reminds us that the Chinese word for “busy” is composed of two characters: “heart” and “killing.” When we make ourselves so busy that we are always rushing around trying to get this or that “done,” or “over with,” we kill something vital in ourselves, and we smother the quiet wisdom of our heart. When we invest our work with judgment and impatience, always striving for speed and efficiency, we lose the capacity to appreciate the million quiet moments that may bring us peace, beauty, or joy. As we seek salvation through our frantic productivity and accomplishments, we squander the teachings that may be present in this very moment, in the richness of this particular breath.

In the Book of Ecclesiastes, there is a proverb: “Better one hand full of quiet than two hands full of striving after wind.” Unpracticed in the art of quiet, we hope to find our safety, our belonging, and our healing by increasing our levels of accomplishment. But our frantic busyness actually makes us deaf to what is healing and sacred, both in ourselves and in one another.”

Whether we are religious, spiritual, agnostic or atheist, we all can recognize the state of grace. In the spiritual traditions of the world, grace is considered the divine reality that underlies all faith. Regardless of our spiritual preferences, often it is in silence and the allowance of tranquil spaciousness, that we have the experience of grace and peace.

In her book, Attitudes of Gratitude, M.J. Ryan defines grace as “…an attitude in which individuals slip out of ordinary space and time, where there is no separation between themselves and the world around them, and everything seems perfect just as it is. Some people find such moments of transcendence through meditation, others in nature, still others when making love or being totally absorbed in work that is meaningful. These moments are rare gifts in which we open to an expansive place within our nature, where all is right with us and the world.”

Every day provides the opportunity to open and embrace the states of grace, or to make room for at least “one hand full of quiet”. It is the transcendent experience of deep silence, peacefulness, and complete trust that brings us back to our common humanity. The sense of unity, interconnectedness, and belonging accentuates the experience of grace and motivates the expression of awe, and wonder, gratitude within us.

Practice

1. Notice where there is the experience of grace and ease in your life—the awakening, exploring, growing, and responding parts of your nature that remain curious and attentive, rather than critical and assessing. These are the places of grace.
2. Use the month of May to spend more time in silence or quiet, noticing where there is grace and ease in your life, and give gratitude for those moments.