Editorial May 29, 1989 Issue

Grace, understanding, and healing

William E. Moody

The concept of grace can mean many things. In nature, for example, there's the way a flock of mallards, early in the morning, circles for a landing on a marsh pond. As the ducks come in low over the water, with wings cupped, you can see every bird gliding together in a moment of perfect, unstudied symmetry. I've also seen this kind of natural instinctive grace in a deer running through the woods. Suddenly all the barriers of underbrush or fallen trees will seem to vanish in a blur of speed and agility that no Olympic hurdler could ever hope to match.

Then there's the grace of a ballerina, perhaps having to do with a certain style, form, and rhythm that capture the essential, inherent beauty of her art. Or, in another way, grace could characterize the manner in which a courageous individual comports himself or herself when meeting a particularly difficult trial in life. I knew a woman who, for me, epitomized this steady courage and who taught me many valuable lessons through the strength and quiet poise of her example.

Also, there are the various theological implications of grace. They can have different shades of meaning and significance to people. But grace could be represented by something as simple as a family gathered for the evening meal, where there's a pause in the day's clamor for a few words of thanks to God for His blessings. Or, from a Bible student's perspective, grace might be thought of in a traditional Scriptural context as describing how the love of God reaches directly into the lives of men and women.

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