GRACE

                                              

Encountering Jesus is like listening to a beautiful song. The melody grows on us little by little and soon we can’t get it out of our head. It becomes the sound-track of our best moments. It evokes our deepest emotions and a longing that sometimes is painful because the object of our desire is elusive. But other times the music is joyful and then we sing at the top of our lungs. I listened intently, trying to discern every instrument and chord, and a shift in my consciousness took place. I didn’t look for it or take steps to make it happen. I believe that it came from something external because I did not recognize it at first. Let me give you an example.

You are sitting in your living-room watching TV. A friend, someone you knew when you were young, comes in and sits next to you. You haven’t seen her in decades, so you don’t know how to relate to her. You are polite, surprised to see her but quite indifferent to her presence. After a few words you go back to your TV program. She talks once in a while, trying to catch your attention. At first you listen just to be kind, but little by little she involves you in the conversation. You ask her questions, but she doesn’t respond to your curiosity. You feel that she wants you to find the answers on your own. You are confused but you act on her suggestion. Soon enough the room is filled with enthusiasm. You are literally on fire but you don’t know why. Slowly but steadily, you start seeing things more clearly. By the end of the day you trust her completely. You know that she came to help you and that she’ll be there for you, whatever the future holds.

This is what happened to me over a period of months. That woman, the friend of my youth, was not a person or a voice in my head, but was a presence nonetheless. I depicted her as a woman because she was “grace”. My shift of consciousness came by grace, but of why she came to me I have no idea, Thank God she gave me a try.