“But for the Grace of God go I” 2019

“But for the Grace of God go I” 2019

Walking the way we talk. When we espouse one thing but act in a contrary manner not only does it make us look untrustworthy but also opens the door to all manner of spiritual disease and unease coupled with a corresponding disconnect from truth. Wishing to be happy but seeding unhappiness, wanting to be loved but unwilling to demonstrate love, demanding respect while being disrespectful, holding truth and fairness as essential while speaking falsely and treating others unfairly, in a manner we would not tolerate, are all examples of spiritual disease, a demonstration in conflict with our stated intention. These are gross examples, readily identifiable and addressed if we truly wish to change.

But what of the subtler forms: condescension and self-aggrandizement couched in seemingly “well-intended” but not fully considered verbal asides, comments and actions. One of which, which I found particularly painful since I had used it often was “But for the grace of God go I.” The phrase always made me a little uneasy, though for years I could not suss out why. When the truth finally hit, I became physically ill and spiritually unsettled. Consider the full import of the phrase: it implies that God withdraws or withholds Divine Grace from some unlucky souls! And fortunately, I’m not one of them!  Really? That some are “chosen” in some way, greater in God’s sight than another? Or, being flawed, prone to error in thought in deed, especially when fearful, we could err so egregiously that we are “cast” aside? If God is the embodiment of Love and we are all children of the Miraculous, Grace freely given because of this love and intimate connection, how could that be possible? I wrestled with this for a time, looking for a loophole to crawl through, but they all ended in the same place: base condescension and the spiritually corrosive “holier than thou” sensibility.

Wayne Dyer suggested in all things we “think from the end.” Applying this concept here I now understand that no one stands above another Spiritually, and though each of us will reap the harvest from the seeds we have sown, for good or ill, Grace is a gift that cannot be earned or lost and to believe that in anyway anyone is beyond Grace or has lost it, we then set ourselves up for a life of disharmony at odds with the truth of being.


“For we are human, weak and prone to wrong, and by Thy Grace alone are we made strong.”
Henry Coyle


Miracles Of Recovery


© Vincent Lee Jones All Rights Reserved

Miracles Of Recovery, Overdose Death, Alcoholism, Wayne Dyer, Drug Addiction, Zen, Emmet Fox, Opioids, Heroin, Einstein, AA, Healing Path Recovery, Drug Rehab, #Drug Addiction, #Drug Rehab, #Healing Path Recovery, #Heroin, #Opioids

Published by Vincent Lee Jones

Silk sheets or city streets, Park Avenue or park bench, addiction is an equal opportunity destroyer of lives. My name is Vincent Lee Jones and I have been in recovery since September 1985. My professional career began when I was nearly 20 years in recovery and was asked to work pro bono with at risk students at Huntington Beach High School. At the time I had developed a reputation within the at large recovery community as an effective communicator and was known to some of the faculty. After the death of two students from prescription drugs I was asked to start working with at risk students, which I did for nearly 5 years. Word of mouth lead to offers of compensated freelance Facilitator and Director positions with numerous local treatment facilities in the ensuing years. As a retired Building Contractor/Designer, working in conjunction with a treatment facility, I created a construction program utilizing a workforce comprised almost exclusively of people new or returning to recovery, helping them to not only learn a trade and start making a living but since many of them had relapsed numerous times, to begin truly building a foundation with real aftercare to live free of active addiction. This program changed many lives. In my 30+ years in recovery I have worked with thousands of individuals from all walks of life, teenagers to the retired, famous to infamous, prosperous to those living hand to mouth, adamant atheists to those embracing strong Religious beliefs; suffering from all manner of intoxicant and behavior-based addictions as well as those who love and care about them, both as a member in recovery Fellowships and as a treatment professional. I can be contacted at 714-366-1725. I write and publish daily a recovery based nondenominational spiritually based blog at https://livinginspirit.blogspot.com with accompanying videos that can be found as well on YouTube and LinkedIn at Vincent Lee Jones.

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