There but for the grace of God go I. We’ve heard this saying countless times. What is God’s grace? In a theological context, according to dictionary.com, it’s the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.
I recently took time to reflect on how There but for the grace of God go I can be said in a spirit of love and gratitude. For example, when I know of someone going through a physical struggle, and I think that I wouldn’t want to be having that experience, I say There but for the grace of God go I.
For me, that is a spirit of gratitude. But then I think again, and I come to the conclusion maybe that struggle is a blessing in disguise for the individual experiencing it. I’m not walking in her/his shoes, so I don’t really know.
What I do know is that there are a multitude of daily blessings that I could be grateful for, but likely allow to pass by me. I am blessed to have a job where I get to work from home. When I hear others bemoan their commute and/or how much this costs them in gas for their vehicle, I am grateful for my situation and say There but for the grace of God go I. When I see someone on a street corner with a sign indicating hunger or homelessness, I can say There but for the grace of God go I.
In that situation I can also possibly be of some help by giving food. I carry small amounts of food with me for those times when I’m stopped in the nearest lane and the individual passes by my driver’s side window before the light turns green and I drive away. I’m grateful for those opportunities; and it brings me joy when I can serve in what might seem a small way, hoping that it is somehow creating an encounter of love.
I have also realized that sometimes There but for the grace of God go I can be said in a spirit of arrogance or hubris. When someone judges me harshly for a decision that I have made, and I say to myself There but for the grace of God go I, because I would not judge like that, there is my ego at work.
This happened a couple years ago when I called to wish a friend happy birthday and I got a 5-minute harangue for my choice to forego a certain vaccination. Telling myself There but for the grace of God go I helped me feel superior at the time, but did not bring me closer to God. Similarly, when I am made aware of a situation in which it appears that someone has spent her/his money in a way that seems wasteful to me, and then I say, There but for the grace of God go I, I wouldn’t waste money like that, chalk it up to ego again.
Dear Holy Trinity, thank you for opening my heart to realize the need for change in this area of my life. I pray that You will work in me so that hereafter I will say There but for the grace of God go I from a stance of total humility and gratitude. This I pray in the holy name of Jesus.