Is life just a series of cause and effect relationships? Are we bound by some actions performed in a life that we are not even aware of? Is God some accountant who is keeping a list of our “good” and “bad” deeds like he’s Santa Claus and checking his list twice or something? In a world ruled by karma where does grace fall in to the picture?
Today we shall discuss two powerful ways to view your relationship with the divine.
Karma
Karma: you reap what you sow.
This to me, is an archaic view of divinity. It has served people for many years, and I don’t want to take away from that. It has helped humanity progress from barbarians to civilized people, and for that, karma definitely gets some points in my book.
But what these people that cling to so close to karma don’t realize. Is if we’re just paying our dues for our past actions, what was that seed that started the karmic cycle? This life pays for the last one, but if you go all the way back, to the very first life. Where you had no karma at all, you were just a blank slate. Who or what dictated the karma for that life?
Now I do believe in karma, I believe we are all interconnected ant that our actions ripple out in ways that we are not even aware of. But it can’t be that simple man. Like life is just a ping pong game and we bounce around paying off debt and reaping blessings? Way too simple for me. I need something more nuanced, something more fluid, something more dynamic.
Grace
Enter Grace: undeserved favour from God.
Now karma views your relationship with the divine as purely transactional. You do good things, good things happen, you do bad things, bad things happen.
But where is God in all this then? Haven’t humans basically become gods if we are the sole progenitor of our destiny?
The karmic God is too far and distant for my liking, he doesn’t even care about me, so why should I care about him?
My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
2 Corinthians 12:9 (KJV)
Now the God of Grace, that I can get behind. That I’m not just out here running with my head cut off in the darkness. That there is a God, and not only is there a God, but He also cares about me, and He wants the best for me, and He has my best intentions in His heart.
Now some people may think, why should God care about anyone? My answer: what better things does he have to do?
God’s Love
He watches over all, and contemplating the creation, He rejoices.
Page 8 (SGGS)
It literally says in religious scripture, that God rejoices at his creation. We are his children and he loves to watch over us. He finds great joy in or lives. You know sometimes when I’m going through something frustrating, I imagine God watching over me filled with joy and saying: “Yes my son, this is life! Now live!!!”. And I just picture him like, being so happy, not at my suffering, but just enjoying the life he gave me. I picture him watching over me, knowing I’m gonna get through it, and that the joy waiting for me on the other side of pain is worth the trouble. ‘Cuz who would appreciate the sun without some rain eh?
And not only that, I have seen grace in my life. It is apparent, I have overcome many spiritual battles, some people don’t even win one major way in their life I have won multiple. This isn’t to boast. It’s to tell you, the good are rewarded, but not all the good are rewarded, the good who persevere are rewarded. You gotta take that frown and turn it upside down naw mean? Even if it takes some WD-40 and some elbow grease.
So, how do we live in light of Grace? By believing that we’re more than the sum of our actions. And by knowing that there’s a hand reaching out to guide us, even in our darkest moments.
Peace ✌️