25 May 2006 @ 13:17, by Enocia Joseph
I believe while there is only one Love there are different expressions of that Love.
There is Love that is acceptance. You can accept someone for who he is without agreeing with his behaviour. You know he is expressing himself based on what he knows or believes. And while you accept others as they are, you also accept yourself just as you are because you know you're always doing the best you can at any given moment. In this respect, acceptance is recognising that every moment is perfect.
There is a Love that chastens. This Love is constantly teaching you the truth of reality and corrects you when you're off-track. In other words, Love makes you see things as they are, not as you've been programmed they are.
There is a Love that I can only refer to as Grace. Let's look at what the scriptures have to say about Grace:
[["Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's." (Psalm 103: 3-5)]]
Grace is not concerned with healing you when you've understood truth, nor is She bothered about correction. Grace loves you whether you think you're deserving or not. Grace loves you whether you know of Her presence or not. Grace is acceptance and then some.
Now Grace is not some lovely idea that one can confine to the realm of the divine; we all know about and practise Grace from time to time. For instance, when I was hit by a car as a child, it was Grace in action that got me to the hospital. If there wasn't Grace, I would have been left on the street because it was my fault for not checking behind the stationary van before crossing the road.
The last time I saw someone involved in a car accident, I witnessed Grace in action. A few of us saw this elderly woman lying on the ground in a hit-and-run accident. Grace as a man called the ambulance on his mobile phone. Grace as another man ran to the local post office to ask for a blanket so we could cover the woman. Grace as another man went to the local pharmacist to get some bandage. Grace as myself held the woman's hand and prayed. Grace as the police arrived and directed the traffic. Grace as the paramedic team arrived to take care of the woman. When no one could understand what the injured woman was saying, Grace arrived as two men who could speak her language and were able to interpret on her behalf. This is a demonstration of Grace. Grace doesn't care what you've been doing before, nor does She care what beliefs you have. Grace is only bothered about loving in every moment.
Of course, the Love that chastens does have its place. That kind of Love is like being aware of the traffic code so you know how to cross the road so you don't get run over; and you learn to check behind a stationary vehicle before crossing. The problem with learning is that you're likely get stuck into believing life is about demonstrating the truth you've learned. Grace is beyond all concepts of Truth. Grace is Love that is endlessly pouring Love. You never know how this Love is going to unfold, just trust in it.
Incidentally, I received an email from a friend today, which my friend has given me permission to post:
[["Yesterday I had a nice dream. In the dream, I felt abundance of cosmic energy (love) flowing into my heart and I realized that I was able to access the power. I wanted to test the power, so I took the broken flute. As soon as I touched it, it became perfect and wonderful flute. When I woke up in the morning, I was very fresh and I tried to do something which I tried in the dream and nothing happened. hahahahaa!"]]
My friend is talking about Grace, Infinite love that is constantly flowing in every moment. However, while Grace is cosmic energy, how It is manifested takes limitless forms.
This was my response to my friend's email:
[["As for the dream, of course you are always connected to Love. You are Love. Just because your flute doesn't seem to have been fixed doesn't mean it isn't. Just trust in Love.
"Years ago, my laptop broke down. It came up with an error message and no matter what I typed it wouldn't recognise it. Before that, I'd been thinking that I was sick of the laptop and wanted a new one and new software. But I couldn't sell it because I didn't think I would get anything for it. I prayed for it to work but it didn't. I left it alone and borrowed a laptop from a friend. After a few days that laptop stopped working. My friend said she would take her laptop to her dad to fix it. I asked her if she could take mine as well just in case. Her dad was able to change the hard drive in my laptop which he said had conked out. It turned out he had one spare which he gave me. He then downloaded free software. So in a long-winded way I did get what I was seeking - new software.
"Never underestimate the power of love. Just because you're not aware of something doesn't mean it's not working."]]
Grace takes care of our needs in Her own way. All we need to do is trust in Her and She never lets us down. Only when we believe we have to demonstrate what we understand do we hold back our good. Even so, Grace is constantly pouring love our way no matter what, even if your laptop has to be taken round the houses to get it sorted.
So we can continue to learn about the law, the rules and regulations, or we can step into Grace. When you walk in Grace there's no need to think about cars because the roads will always be clear when you need to cross it. Even if the roads are not clear, you might find yourself across the road and not know how you got there. I remember once I crossed the road thinking the cars had stopped. I "woke up" and realised the traffic was moving at a normal pace. At that moment I had experienced a simultaneous dimension - where two events are happening at the same time and in the same space.
Grace is right here and now. But if you're too busy learning how to cross the road you miss walking in Grace.
I walk in Grace.
I am Grace.
Enocia
Related articles: The Inner Heart; Grace; Guilt Complex; Dressing You in Love; Living Under Grace
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