Friday, September 7, 2012

Graceful

Today's word at Five Minute Friday is "graceful."  (That sentence makes me feel a little bit like a Sesame Street character...)

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I wonder where this word got it's cultural meaning.  I look it up, knowing the meaning but hoping for more inspiration.  It seems rather superficial, all about appearance.

And it's curious to me, as I know Grace as a life-giving sacrificial gift, that the definition we often use is so constraining. It seems full of rules and expectations and "shoulds", so opposite of the freedom that holds hands with Grace.

Graceful dancing.

Graceful body.

Graceful manners.

Graceful writing.

Graceful appears effortless, natural.  That seems foreign to me- my words are diligence, discipline, hard work.  And yet, maybe effortlessness is the connection that makes "grace" and "graceful" distant cousins.  Grace doesn't demand effort.  It doesn't appear natural, it allows for natural.  The boundless excess of grace makes up for my faults, effortlessly on my part.

Grace covers it all, even my lack of graceful.  It alone makes me enough.

6 comments:

Loni said...

Jesus' grace makes up for our faults and shines through! :)

Jamie said...

Yes to this - "it alone makes me enough" Love that.

It's my first visit to your blog - love it here!

Anne Dye said...

Loved this. Thanks for sharing!

Richelle Wright said...

wow - i loved your perspective. graceful requires effort and always will in this life. yet our lives are full of grace, an that undeserved gift, endlessly bountiful gift that requires no work or effort on our part other than to be the recipients.

thanks so much for that reminder, today!

Unknown said...

Since I looked up the definition and still had no inspiration I decided to browse what others wrote. That brought me here. You echoed the words in my head perfectly. Especially this - Graceful appears effortless, natural. That seems foreign to me- my words are diligence, discipline, hard work. - So exactly why I couldn't figure out what to write.
I'll be back, it was wonderful being here! Now I'm off to ponder what to write - still.
DV-NMV

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