If I asked you to tell me what Grace is, would you know? If you knew in your heart what it is, would you be able to articulate it? I actually looked it up online and was met with a ream of Christian websites, all with definitions just weren’t quite right (to me, that is). Because, of course, Christians don’t own the concept of Grace. No religion does. The Universe (swap out that term for one that works for you) transcends human made frameworks. Religions are like lunch kits. They’re artificial (but often brightly decorated!) containers that can only hold a small sample of what’s possible (and some of the stuff that gets put in there, you just can’t swallow!).

If you follow my thinking so far, you’ll agree that Grace precedes religion because – duh – the Universe precedes everything! Grace is available to anyone/thing – even atheists and agnostics. It doesn’t matter if you attribute Grace to God, static electricity, or the ley lines along the Camino de Santiago; it is available to you in any case. To borrow from an old joke: you may not believe in Grace, but it believes in you. In summary, this ain’t about religion, so chill out and quit rolling your eyes. I saw that!

So…what is it? As you read that question, your body might feel the memory of a knowing that lives in your cells, if not your mind. It’s like trying to recall something that’s lurking *just* on the edge of your conscious memory. Spiritual déja vu. You know what it is, even though you don’t think you do. You’ve experienced it, even though you might not recognize you have.

I believe moments of Grace have one telltale sign…the stand outside the normal passage of time. If you’ve heard of the concept of Flow, you know it’s a concept of extreme, yet effortless concentration. When I write, for example, I often experience it. No awareness of the passing of time, no awareness of exertion…just a physically delicious focus that is both immersive and energizing. It’s better than sex (though Flow can certainly happen during sex!). The originator of the theory of Flow, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (I only want to type that name once), describes it as an alternative reality, a moment of ecstasy where we feel we don’t exist. Indeed, he says “our existence is temporarily suspended.” Far out.

The feeling of Flow is the important thing to remember for the purpose of this discussion about Grace. Flow tends to be creation-induced (writing, playing music, painting, etc.), while Grace is often, I think, connection-induced. You will know Grace by how you feel: outside time, like you could shoot beams of light from you if you tried hard enough; your skin tingles, you may be moved to tears, you’ll joy from the inside out. And, perhaps the most telltale sign of all: you forget the concept of ‘self.’ In that brief moment, you’re aware of your connectedness to everything. Grace is the feeling when we’re plugged in to the Source. And it is an unbearably excellent feeling. I think we can only experience it in moments because we’d explode otherwise. Our bodies just can’t contain that much mojo all at once. Moments of connection, I think, move us into states of Grace. Consider these scenarios:

• Seeing or hearing something so beautiful that your whole being seems to know the answer to an unknown question
• Witnessing kindness, compassion, empathy
• The moment you realize you really love someone. Not pretend love or infatuation or lust: but really love them. That moment.
• The feeling in the room just before and just after someone dies or is born
• When a child says something so true and wise, you know you’ve just heard the voice of the transcendent part of their being.
• Being truly forgiven or truly forgiving someone else (It doesn’t just mean saying, “Oh that’s okay”).
• The near miss moment, when you realize the ONLY THING that kept you safe from harm was the fact it wasn’t your time. The realization the Universe intervened on your behalf.

You’ll be able to describe other situations in which Grace descends upon and around us like a sunrise. So what? What’s the point to this very esoteric post?

I guess to say this: Grace visits you whether you’re aware of it or not. In my view, the gift is in the awareness that it’s happening. There’s nothing like it. Nothing. Like. It. Ultimately, I believe the gift of Grace reminds us of two essential things: we are connected to everything and we are worthy simply because we’re here.

So…let me ask you this: When have you experienced Grace (you’ll get extra points if you say it happened while reading this post)? What gifts have those moments given you? Feel free to use the comments to tell me about it if you’d like.

PS. I also get points for not making an “Amazing Grace” joke once.