This is the promised Part Three of my QUIET-PEACE-GRACE set of essays.
So I just listened to a cloud and held my breath and smiled at a stranger. Then he smiled at someone during their rudeness to him, and the rude one flew to a far country and smiled and someone about to pick up a rocket launcher listened to a cloud. So now we have peace, just like that? Well, yes and no. Yes, I and the stranger driving by my roses and the rude clerk and the farway fighter do now have a connection in peace. No, not all the other neighbors nor all the other customers treated rudely nor all the other soldiers in that far way camp instantly experience peace. BUT……..
All the other neighbors and all the other customers and all the other soldiers now stand right beside a presence of QUIET and PEACE. QUIET and PEACE radiating outward from just one single person in each time and place form an aura, an almost-halo, a CLOUD, if you will, of prescient GRACE. Yes, GRACE: that which makes spiritual growth possible. And is not spiritual growth totally essential to build an environment for PEACE?
Why is GRACE necessary for spiritual growth? It is necessary just as a seed is necessary to a plant, just as water and air and light and proper soil are necessary to a plant. But can the plant survive, much less grow, if it is stepped upon in haste? No, the plant must be allowed to be still, be “quiet” within its space in order to experience the peace necessary for fruitful growth. WE must allow ourselves quiet and peace before we can receive enough water and light and air and nutrients to soak into ourselves to grow, to thrive. And is this not one of the forms of GRACE? And if carrying GRACE inside us, would we not then be fostering PEACE just by our very presence? Would we not then be links in a chain of peace?
Now, are we simply dropped into little spaces of quiet and peace? No, we surely are not. Therefore, we must just stop, hold a breath, slow our seeking hearts, empty our searching minds, and become like Gandhi and Solzhynitsn and Jesus of Nazareth before Pilate. Like them, we must just be quiet both with our mouths and within our very souls.
May GRACE abound!
granbee 
Nov 25, 2011 @ 17:46:09
Luv the beautiful thought of a Sufi:
seed is necessary to a plant, just as water and air and light and proper soil are necessary to a plant
I was telling my son two days ago exactly the same words….. simple and beautiful thought…… 🙂
Nov 26, 2011 @ 01:24:34
Gulp! heart-tale, you touched my soul by sharing this comment telling of your saying some of these things about plants to your son. You make me feel for now like the wise elder I aspire to be!
Nov 25, 2011 @ 18:14:28
Butterfly Effects – we have no way of knowing where the smile will end up but, worst case scenario it won’t do any harm. It is entirely possible that that same smile might well have the ripple effect you describe far, far away – which makes it worth a try.
Nov 26, 2011 @ 01:27:57
Nothing could mean more to me at this point in my prayer-journey towards peace than this most encouraging comment of yours! I find that even in worse-case scenario you mentioned, I grow more peaceful inside with each tiny increment of spiritual growth; thereby greatly improving my odds of having an influence. Thank you for your participation on my blog today.
Nov 26, 2011 @ 01:13:22
Don’t just settle for thinking
That grace is nice in theory
If you do not work for it
Your life will just be dreary
Challenges and frustrations
Will only serve to rattle
A warrior equips their grace
When they go into battle
Because it gives them peace of mind
And calmness of the soul
Taking on struggles with grace
Is the warrior’s goal
🙂
Nov 26, 2011 @ 01:30:28
I humbly bow in total agreement to wisdom in verse here, warrior! How noble of you to share this wisdom so unselfishly, like a true knight!
Nov 26, 2011 @ 03:46:22
Beautiful~ I wish people would understand that each of us are linked and that grace and peace go hand in hand.. Our Thoughts Create.. Every Action has a Reaction. ~
Here is part of a blog I wrote some time ago called the Ripple effect ~~
“” Every transformation, just like every ripple, has a point of origin. You must believe in your ability to be that point of origin if you want to use the ripples you create to spread goodness. Consider the effect of your thoughts and actions, and try to act graciously as much as possible.”””
That point of origin has to start with ourselves.. We look out around the world and think what can we do do alter the world which seems to be at war with itself.. We need to understand that we are the world, we are the society, we are all of us part of our community and to change the community.. we need to change ourselves..
Simple…. Spread out love..kindness and care.. then we change the WORLD..
Love this post Granbee… Excellent.. 🙂 (( Hugs ))
Nov 27, 2011 @ 03:03:11
Hugs back to you, Sue! Yes, we ARE “the world”: it is not “out there”: we should leave that excuse in the dust forevermore! We could use up all our NANO words listing people, one by one, who each “one” made a tremendous, lasting difference for the entire worlds, all by themselves. But, Sue, pray HARD with me that our readers will understand, and spread the word, that we must allow ourselves quiet and space and time to truly BE with ourselves, to KNOW ourselves, to discover that channels (which are just waiting there for us) through which we spread the “good news” to others, one person at a time! We must learn that we can do this right where we are, this very moment. We MUST forget the advertisers’ lies to “draw a big crowd”. Each of us has the power, the strength, and–most importantly–the LOVE of a crowd inside of us. We just get still, get quiet–and tap into those limitless resources the Creator has provided TO EACH OF US!
Nov 26, 2011 @ 23:48:12
Yes, but it is also true that the point of origin of the ripple is not the origin of the ripple. It is the recipient of the origin. I always thought of grace as like a big bucket of water poured on my head on a hot day, and I imagined the splash of that water spraying over everyone around me. Different image, same idea I think.
Well done, Granbee. Let’s all of us keep growing in grace and peace.
Nov 27, 2011 @ 03:05:19
Carroll, I believe we are both right. Does the word “partnership” strike you as appropriate here? The origin of the ripple and the recipient must link up, then the partnership steps forth in peace and grace. Thank you so much for your very stimulating and gracious comments here, as always!