It's not a story of my own effort I am sharing this week, but some thoughts on grace explained in a different way. This week I was pleasantly surprised to open up The Book of Wonders by Robert Hays to the August 16 entry entitled "Each Day Is Your Birthday." August 16 is my husband’s birthday! What Hays wrote for this entry seemed like a great thought to share on Wednesday for Ladies of Grace. I like his analogy to our struggles as “birth pains.” We get a new beginning and another chance to be gracious with every encounter, good or bad. May the "birth pains help us to remember to open our hearts to grace, even when facing difficulties. Here are the beautiful words from Robert Hays’ The Book of Wonders --
“….your second birth [into the life of spirit] is ongoing and lifelong, and like the first is also painful….The labor pains of your second lifelong birth will be felt and remembered each day as you encounter the ordinary challenges of life. You will consciously feel those labor pains when you struggle to accept life’s disappointments, broken dreams, and heartbreaks with serenity. You are being born more fully into the spirit each time you endure the pain of remaining nonviolent when [you are] the target of violent words, when you struggle to love the unlovable, and when you pardon others. So when next you feel the demanding pains of being loving and kind, forgiving and non-judgmental, rejoice since they mean today is your birthday.
When awakened, I am overjoyed that
today isn’t just another day, it’s my birthday!
So help me embrace, just as my mother did,
the birth pains that help me grow more Godlike.”
“….your second birth [into the life of spirit] is ongoing and lifelong, and like the first is also painful….The labor pains of your second lifelong birth will be felt and remembered each day as you encounter the ordinary challenges of life. You will consciously feel those labor pains when you struggle to accept life’s disappointments, broken dreams, and heartbreaks with serenity. You are being born more fully into the spirit each time you endure the pain of remaining nonviolent when [you are] the target of violent words, when you struggle to love the unlovable, and when you pardon others. So when next you feel the demanding pains of being loving and kind, forgiving and non-judgmental, rejoice since they mean today is your birthday.
When awakened, I am overjoyed that
today isn’t just another day, it’s my birthday!
So help me embrace, just as my mother did,
the birth pains that help me grow more Godlike.”
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[Grief opens us to softness and illumination. - wisdom from Anne Lamott]
2 comments:
Wonderful words!
Wow - that quote is perfect for today! I love when things serendipitiously come together... Love it.
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