I moved to Ireland a few months ago and before I arrived on the wet Irish soil, I did what every obsessed-with-dance-salsera does before she visits a new city and researched until I found the best classes in the city to take.
Perfecting my patchy on2 skills was my number one goal in Dublin as it is hard to come by lessons on the 2 beat on my city and most of my experience had been being thrown in the deep end at a congress or in NYC and just having to wing it.
An acquaintance of a friend connected me with 2NFro and that became the place I had decided I would plant my roots and focus on my feet for a few months.
I had a funny exchange of emails with my instructor before I came as I wrote him an email introducing myself and saying I wanted to come to their classes. I signed off my email as I often do like this:
Grace,
Christy
The email I got back (I don’t think he will mind I am relaying this) is “are you Grace, a woman or Christy, a man”.
Dang it. The only country where men are called Christy. Even spelt the same way. Lol.
We sorted that out with my next set of emails. My new friend and instructor had not had someone sign their emails off with Grace instead of Sincerely or Love or something like that. What can I say, one of a kind.
I love signing off with “Grace” because it is the most radical concept in the world. It is why I sign off with it. Grace changed my life. It changes my life every day. It is what will change the world. Grace is so counter cultural to most of what we know in life. Grace has been changing me and I hope that the more I experience the reality of God’s grace in my life, the more I will give it to others.
As the goodbyes have started this week some of my new pals threw me a goodbye party entitled “We will miss you… Grace!” on the Facebook group. Lol
I read this excerpt from an article tonight on Overcoming Judgmentalism and smiled. Grace. Yep. Grace.
“A story is told of a group of Oxford professors who were discussing what the primary uniqueness that Christianity offered the world of religion was. Some people said it was creation. Some said it was the cross. Others suggested the Bible, miracles, and hope. When C.S. Lewis came in the room, the group asked him what he thought Christianity brought to the table that others did not. Without hesitation he responded, “That’s easy. Its grace.”
Grace is probably the most radical concept that humanity has ever known. It is the only thing that is really different in a world filled with isolated judgmentalism. It is the balm that cures all relationships. It is the most attractive personality characteristic that any human could possess. It demands diversity in order for it to work. Grace is understanding, kind, warm, and disarming. Grace was illustrated by Christ, who is the only one who has ever had a reason to be judgemental, yet only sought to be around those who were outcasts, hated, and looked down upon. Grace is reaching down to those places that you don’t go and accepting those who do the things you don’t.”
