October 10, 2014

The Spiritual Leap from Karma to Grace.

0 Boost Score Michele Collier (1,510,185)

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Several yeas ago I saw a meme that said, “Grace Trumps Karma.”

This was such an intriguing idea to me that I just sat and thought about it for a few moments. I never considered this idea and so I just let the thought sink in. I felt that there was truth in the statement and I wanted to know if this could be my truth.

I wanted to know for myself if grace really did override, or trump karma. And so I decided to give the idea of grace a try. I decided to make the spiritual leap from karma to grace. Once I did, my life began to change. Comparing the two ideas, of karma to grace, it is easy to see why.

Most of us know karma as the energetic response the universe has to our actions. The simplest definition of karma is : “the destiny that one earns through one’s actions or behavior.”

When we adopt a belief in karma, it helps us to become responsible for the words we speak, our actions and even our thoughts. We begin to become accountable for everything that we do because of the belief that there is an energetic return or response to our actions.

The idea of karma’s energetic cause and effect helps us to become aware of and responsible for our behavior. We realize that things are not just happening to us but that our actions have effects on the outcome of our realities. This awareness is, very often, a first step on a spiritual path.

The idea of karma helps move us away from blame or victim consciousness and guides us toward self responsibility. We may begin to experience ourselves as creators of our own realities. We may label these outcomes as either good or bad, but in truth karma is neither positive or negative. It is simply an energetic response. It does not hold a judgement.

Once we understand the idea of karma, we often decide to live and behave in ways that create the most positive outcomes for ourselves. With a basic understanding of karma, we do our best to apply its energetic principles for good.

But what happens when we falter spiritually? What happens when we find ourselves acting from the more negative aspects of our personalities?

Being human, we may find ourselves acting from our fears or our shame. We may express human emotions such as jealousy or anger and this may cause us to feel that we will be affected in negative ways or even be punished by our karma.

We may begin to find ourselves fearing some sort of cosmic judgement. If we feel that our actions are less than stellar, it can be like waiting for the karmic axe to fall. After all, we created it. It is our karma. And so it must be. This is when we may begin to wonder if we will ever be free from the energetic tightrope walk of the cause and effect of karma.

We may wonder if we will ever be able to just “be” and not worry about the spiritual tally sheet that karma seems to be. We may wonder if it’s possible to ever free ourselves of this spiritual cause and effect system. I believe that it is possible. I believe that we can free ourselves by taking the spiritual leap from karma to grace.

The simplest definition of grace is: “unearned favor.” The idea of grace implies that it is a gift that is given, Comparing the concept of the “earned destiny” of karma, to the concept of the “unearned favor” of grace, it appears that these ideas are directly opposed to each other.

Grace suggests the allowance of what “is” rather than the idea of earning anything at all. It suggests the allowance of life rather than the idea of any kind of attainment or achievement. By moving from karma to grace, we may then move away from the idea that there is any sort of earned outcome for our actions.

Acceptance of grace frees us from the idea of any kind of energetic judgement meted out for our actions. Grace releases us from the notion that we need to strive in any way to earn our destiny. In taking the spiritual leap from karma to grace, there is an acceptance and allowance of the perfection of the gift of life as it is. With grace nothing is required of us and we can just simply “be.”

For me, being “in grace,” is living in the awareness that I am also part of the perfection of life. Grace is a gift, an unearned favor, that I accepted for myself. Living in grace feels to me as though I am not only unconditionally loved but actually romanced by life.

My experience with grace has been like a great love affair where I am loved and celebrated. Acceptance of grace has changed my life in many ways. It is difficult to describe the feeling of being embraced by the light, the warmth and the ease of grace. Suffice it to say, that in my experience, grace, does indeed, trump karma.