Outside of Karma

Thinking about grace lately--the biblical kind, but also how that translates into my interactions with people. The words of the U2 song deeply move me. They make me want to be this person.

Grace
She takes the blame
She covers the shame
Removes the stain
It could be her name

Grace
It's a name for a girl
It's also a thought that changed the world
And when she walks on the street
You can hear the strings
Grace finds goodness in everything

Grace, she's got the walk
Not on a ramp or on chalk
She's got the time to talk
She travels outside of karma
She travels outside of karma
When she goes to work
You can hear her strings
Grace finds beauty in everything

Grace, she carries a world on her hips
No champagne flute for her lips
No twirls or skips between her fingertips
She carries a pearl in perfect condition
What once was hurt
What once was friction
What left a mark
No longer stings
Because grace makes beauty
Out of ugly things
Grace makes beauty out of ugly things

(Lyrics: Bono)

(FYI, in the words of a critic, Nichole Nordeman's rendition of "Grace" makes the song sound as if it had been written for her to sing.)

I guess I've been thinking about that lately as I deal with hurt: hurt I've encountered or hurt I unfortunately dole out. I'm learning experientially that grace is not pretending that wrong isn't there; instead, it starts with forgiveness, where the person who didn't do the wrong absorbs its consequences (think of the priest looking the sin sacrifice in the eyes before taking its life). Then it takes forgiveness further by returning an insult with a blessing, as Christ did. Whoa. That alone will keep me busy until I die! I can understand why "he who has been forgiven much loves much." Hope I can experience the giving of that grace as much as I do the receiving.