Divine Grace - The Gift of Forgiveness

An Open Letter in Extension of Divine Grace - A Christmas wish for all.

Dear Friends and Readers, This is my Christmas wish for you …

"May you always find the Grace in your heart to be forgiving, for it is by Divine Grace that we are forgiven in the eyes of God."

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Grace is a little understood concept in Christianity - if we waited until people deserved to be forgiven for their misdeeds, there would be little forgiveness in the world at all.  Grace offers forgiveness at no cost to the individual being forgiven; hence we forgive the debt they "owe" for their trespasses and set them free.  Forgiveness frees us because we are no longer looking back in anger or holding on to grudges or resentment surrounding the individual who harmed us.  Instead, we choose to live in Divine Grace, and extend undeserved grace to our enemies or perpetrators.  

I have found that after a period of time mulling over someone's offenses, if no suitable act of contrition or apology is forthcoming, then I must actively work to extend the grace of forgiveness.  The most effective way I have found to do this is to sincerely pray for the health and well being of the offending party, and summon gratitude for their positive characteristics.  In quiet meditation I ask for the help of the Holy Spirit to redeem all offending acts as forgiven and then bless the offender.   I do this in the conscious knowing that we ALL fall short of perfection and because we are human, we err and make blunders and mistakes.  But for the Grace of God, there go I.

I have had some truly powerful results with this simple formula.  I have seeded peace in others and found an inner peace I did not know was possible.  I have grown in my inner capacity to love unconditionally and give without expectations, all because I have found this inner peace and tranquility is the substance of true miracles.  And in the process, I AM HEALED.

May the Light of Divine Grace be bestowed on you as my Christmas gift, and may you find the peace we all desperately yearn for as your constant companion.  May you forgive and be forgiven, and be blessed!  Happy Holidays my friends!

All Content Copyright 2019 LLCC  (originally published 12/16/19, pre-Covid 2020)

Having a Bad Day? Have Thanksgiving Every Day

Bad Day? Life not going the way you want it to?

This is the season of gratitude and family gatherings.  It may seem stressful, but it's all in your mindset.  Remember, you can start your day over anytime... You can change your life, and push reset anytime. One way to do this is to find gratitude for what is working - start by making a mental gratitude list of what is positive RIGHT NOW. Then move in that direction with action that improves the quality of your life or day immediately -- even if it's just a change in thought or attitude.

For instance, my gratitude list for the moment looks like this:

1.) It's been a milder, sunny November so -- the utility bills will be lower, yeah! There's only 4 months til spring, and it's been easy to get out without the snow.

2.) The Internet makes connecting with people a finger touch a way.

This doesn't mean we lie to ourselves about the challenging areas of our lives, rather gratitude keeps us from over focusing on the negativity. Often, a bad day is the result of over focusing on a bad moment.  This becomes a bad mood.  Then that becomes a bad day, that then creates the feeling that it's a bad life, a snow ball effect.

When we have mindful gratitude, tackling the more challenging aspects of our lives becomes easier, less stressful, and we acquire the good judgment necessary to make wise decisions that lead us toward improving our lives, even if it's only by not making a bad situation worse.

Try it -- let me know what you're grateful for this Thanksgiving  … in the comments below.  How have you turned a bad moment into a good day?