This week: Grace Edited by: Jeff  
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"Only a real risk tests the reality of a belief."
-- C.S. Lewis
About The Editor: Greetings! My name is Jeff and I'm one of your regular editors for the Noticing Newbies Official Newsletter! I've been a member of Writing.com since 2003, and have edited more than 400 newsletters across the site during that time. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me via email or the handy feedback field at the bottom of this newsletter! 
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Grace
In 2005, French author and music journalist Michka Assayas published a book called Bono on Bono: Conversations with Michka Assayas which was a collection of interviews that Assayas had conducted over the years with his friend and lead singer of the band U2, Bono. This might seem like a strange way to start a Spirituality newsletter, but bear with me. Bono is actually an incredibly thoughtful, spiritual person, and one of the chapters in the book contains this excerpt which, while lengthy, I'm including in its entirety:
"It’s a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the Universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between Grace and Karma...
You see, at the centre of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you; an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics – in physical laws – every action is met by an equal or opposite one. Its clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the universe. I’m absolutely sure of it.
And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that “As you reap, so will you sow” stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff.
That’s between me and God. But I’d be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge. I’d be in deep sh--. It doesn’t excuse my mistakes, but I’m holding out for Grace. I’m holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross because I know who I am, and I hope I don’t have to depend on my own religiosity.
The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death. That’s the point. It should keep us humbled... its not our own good works that get through the gates of heaven...
If only we could be a bit more like Him, the world would be transformed. All I do is get up on the Cross of the Ego; the bad hangover, the bad review. When I look at the Cross of Christ, what I see up there is all my sh-- and everybody else’s. So I ask myself a question a lot of people have asked: Who is this man? And was He who He said He was, or was he just a religious nut? And there it is, and that’s the question. And no one can talk you into it or out of it."
I never thought I'd start a sentence with, "Bono taught me something about my own spirituality," and yet here we are.  It really puts a perspective on how radical the idea of grace is, doesn't it? Karma (or at least the general premise of either getting what's coming to you, or a sort of balance to the universe) is present in so much of the world, and on the surface, it's a concept that has an inherent sense of justice to it. But, like Bono points out, many of us have done some really stupid stuff at times in our life. Even if we consider ourselves "good people" in an overall sense, who among us hasn't made a bad choice (whether intentional or unintentional) from time to time? And how many of us would welcome whatever reciprocal punishment would come from our lifetimes of occasionally screwing up in both big and small ways?
Grace, on the other hand, is undeserved favor. It's kindness even when you yourself haven't been kind. Fairness when you yourself haven't been fair. Love when you yourself haven't been loving. And it really is a radical message compared to the message of karma. You won't get what's coming to you, but rather will find favor, acceptance, forgiveness, etc. regardless of whether you embody and/or exemplify those qualities.
An exploration on the concept of grace (and the kinds of things we deserve grace for) is a much longer topic. There are many different sects of Christianity, which place different emphasis on the idea of sin, what constitutes sin, and what therefore requires grace in order to prevent being revisited back upon us. In a "big picture" context, I suppose the goal is to avoid sinning so much that you end up in hell rather than heaven. I've honestly never put much of my focus on that question because: (a) I don't know for sure where I'm going to end up, and (b) that decision isn't up to me. But, like Bono, as a Christian I think it's very good news indeed that we won't be judged in the context of pure justice/retribution for our sins to rebalance the cosmic scales; if that's the case, I'm not sure any of us will end up in The Good Place. The Good Place, incidentally, is a fantastic show that explores the themes of being a good person. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys philosophy.
The aspect of grace that's more interesting to me is the Christian ideal that grace is freely given and cannot be earned. For someone like me, who grew up having resilience and responsibility and accountability drilled into him, the idea that you can be "saved" or receive the favor of the God of the universe just because is nothing short of mind-blowing. I still struggle with that one. Everything I have in this world had to be earned; even if it's something intangible like the idea of respect, it's something you deserve because you put in the work to be worthy of it. And yet here's this theology that says, "God doesn't love you because you deserve it. In fact, you very specifically don't because everyone is flawed in some way ... but you're loved anyway, just the way you are." 
When it comes to religion and spirituality, it's easy to take common vocabulary words for granted. Words like "grace" are general concepts and used so often that it's even a popular name people choose for their children! But it's really important, for those of us who seek a deeper faith and an evolving spirituality, to not take those words for granted, but really meditate on what they mean and what the implications are. The idea of grace - of extending kindness, love, forgiveness, acceptance, etc. - to anyone, especially those that don't deserve it, is a fundamentally radical idea. In a world with a lot of pain and hurt and ego and expectation, it's also really hard to offer up to others.
But, like Bono said, imagine if we were all a little more like that. What would the world be like if more of us were willing to offer up no-strings-attached grace to others, even those that doesn't deserve it?
Until next time,
Jeff
If you're interested in checking out my work:
"New & Noteworthy Things" | "Blogocentric Formulations"
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This month's official Writing.com writing contest is:
I also encourage you to check out the following items:
EXCERPT: Have you ever prayed desperately for something? Perhaps someone you love was seriously ill, or even dying. Maybe you were in a dangerous situation, and asked God to help you. Or you have sincerely prayed for “World Peace” when you became saddened at the chaotic state of the world.
EXCERPT: When I was in third grade, I was not a well-behaved student. You might have called me the class clown. I would have done anything for a laugh or attention for the other students. I would make funny noises to comical faces when the teacher turned her back. Do not get me started on what I did during lunch or recess.
EXCERPT: I am presently enjoying Bible study with a friend. We “meet” by phone every Sunday night at 6:00. The name of the study in this cycle is “Stuck”. This study examines several emotions, and we discuss how we use God’s Word to see where the Lord is in each one of them so we can move ahead in victory. The chapter for this week is “fear”.
One of the weekly questions is: Who are You Lord? What do You want from me?
EXCERPT: The perpetual conversation that we all have with the universe.
Some of us think of it as communication with some form of deity, while
others consider it simply to be something akin to self-analysis
while those that do not understand or are incapable perceive it to be
talking to ourselves and they consider it somewhat eccentric or even
indicative of a possible mental disorder.
EXCERPT: I was miles from anywhere when I first saw him. He was walking at the side of the road, gas can in hand, and I assumed that he'd run out of fuel somewhere. I didn't remember passing any stranded cars on the road but figured he could have broken down on a side road. Anyone would have stopped to give him a ride. |
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Feedback from "Spiritual Newsletter (July 12, 2023)" about the natural world:
I hope you and your family had a wonderful vacation! Like you, I enjoy being at the beach and find it relaxing and rejuvenating simultaneously. The seaside is especially magical at night for me.
I hope you're enjoying your trip in Hawaii! Nice! I enjoyed your NL. I always associate the outdoors with a chance to relax and meditate on God's words, on God's creation. I always said, God is definitely the ultimate artisan! There's a place for everyone!
Jeff. Thanks for including my poem. It was a pleasant surprise. made my day.
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Spiritual: August 09, 2023 Issue [#12117]
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