There are several definitions of grace, an obvious one being elegance or refinement in the physical state, particularly in movement. Another is an internal state exhibited by one’s behavior, which we may call “courteous goodwill.”

Courteous goodwill. This state of grace seems to be sadly falling by the wayside, as various factions in society bicker, squabble, and attack each other. Sometimes the behavior reminds me of children when they don’t get their way. In the past few years it seems that there has been a rise in bullying, shaming and coercing others psychologically. Where is the grace?

Those who bully others to get their way are not service to others, even though they may use narrative to paint themselves as such. They are service to self. They simply want the world to be “their way”, because they believe they have all the answers. Well, in a world of 8 billion people, how can that be true? There are many viewpoints on this planet.

A state of grace comes from a place of allowance, that others might have another way of being. It also is rooted in a true caring about other people. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, grace flows from love. Achieving a state of grace in one’s self moves us to a real place of service to others.

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Inspirational Quote:

Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.
~ Martin Luther King Jr.

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By Your Grace

Dear Pachamama,
it’s unnerving when
you rant and roll,
rattling your saber –
An empty threat?
I feel Earth slide,
my life tenuous
beneath my feet.

Tornados & floods,
hail & hurricanes,
this earthquake
another reminder
that we live always
by your grace, so
live today, death’s
a tremor away.

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Grace-full

May Grace shine on you,
smiling like the sun, lifting
your heavy heart light.

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Poems are from Soul Journey.

© Susan L Hart 2025