Gratefulness for Moments of Grace

Do you recognize the hand of God in your daily life? Do you thank Him when you awake in the morning, throughout the day and when you lay your head to sleep?

We can see God’s grace just by looking at a sunset, with the beautiful interplay of colors dancing before our eyes, mesmerizing us. Lovers often get such a buzz watching a sunset or a sunrise together.

​God’s presence is also shown through many aspects of nature, with the birds singing with delight. Here in New Zealand we have the Tui, with a white tuft on its neck and as it perches on a branch it brings forth such a beautiful melody. There are many times throughout our daily lives that we can see God’s presence and action (grace). We can see Him through the smiles of others, and even the joy springing up in one’s heart. We can see his grace when we hold a newborn baby in our arms, seeing the beautiful gift of life as well as being as fragile as a butterfly. His grace is also so evident when that baby smiles and you see hearts melting just when someone looks at the baby. It’s like there is an automatic switch especially for women when they see a young baby for the first time. Their motherly instincts kick in.

Creation itself is so beautiful. We have billions of galaxies in our universe. Within our own planet the creativity of God is so breath-taking. From the beauty of mountains, forests and even the intricate workings of the human cell we see God’s hand print.

We can also see God’s action in the power of the ocean. Sitting on the beach watching the waves we see God’s handiwork. The waves point us towards something much greater as I wrote in a poem.
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As Catholics we believe that the Lord works powerfully through His grace in the Sacraments. We are cleansed totally through the Sacrament of Reconciliation; and we can truly see God’s presence through faith, in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.

All religions that have a sacred book believe in God’s presence in that book. Whether it be the Jews with the Hebrew Scriptures, the Muslims with the Koran or us Christians with the Holy Bible. As Christians we have the fullness of scriptures because Christ came to fulfill the Old Covenant. Sacred Scripture tells us that the New Covenant is the cup of Christ’s blood. This is not some Dan Brown concoction relating to the Davinci Code but it is Jesus giving Himself totally to us through the Sacraments.

We also see God’s grace through each other. When someone helps a stranger we see God at work. When someone gives to the poor we see God’s blessing. And when someone is a true friend we see God’s hand. In fact God smiles at all of these occurrences because we are being Him to others. We are letting our light shine as Jesus calls us to in Sacred Scripture.

I’m sure this article can help you see God’s presence and action in your daily life. So reflect on other occurrences from this week where you saw God’s hand. Maybe you defended someone from being mistreated. Or you helped an old person who was struggling with their groceries. Maybe you stopped yourself from becoming angry, or you thought twice and stopped yourself from doing something that would have hurt someone. All these are examples of grace.

​What has happened in your life that you can see was the result of God’s grace? Thank God that He has been at work in your life even though you didn’t see it at the time. Thank Him that you could even wake up today. You can even spend a brief amount of time each night thanking God for ten blessings that you received that day. Saint Mother Teresa even said we should view challenges as gifts. This can help change our mindset to see God in others and even reflect on what annoyed us when we have the power to view it as a blessing rather than a curse. Continue to let your light shine and seek His grace especially through the sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Communion because how truly great is our God!

​Brendan Roberts is an author of 6 books, speaker, missionary, and lay theologian. He shares his deep knowledge of the faith as well as his many experiences in life, including traveling the world in answer to God's call to share the Gospel. His writing style is down to earth, full of witty humor while  bringing alive faith, everyday experiences, and Theology. 

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