What Am I Learning Now?

Series: The Present
Saturday, August 15, 2026

Grace is more than a woman’s name, and it is definitely more than a prayer we say over a meal.

We say that God is loving, kind, gentle, good, and full of grace and mercy. But what does that mean to me? Is it simply something I have learned through tradition, or is it something I actually know?

Have I experienced the grace and mercy of God?

I did this morning when I woke up to a new day that the Lord has made.

I encountered God when I opened Scripture during my Daily Office readings and meditation. I hear something of God’s grace when I listen to a song such as Love Can Build a Bridge or Love Is a Decision.

More importantly, I experience it deep within my soul when I receive the Eucharist every Sunday.

There is something about the Table where the meal is prepared and the Altar where it is served. I meet God there. In those moments, I hear again those words spoken at Jesus’ baptism: “This is my beloved Son.”

And somehow I know that I, too, am beloved.

But grace is not confined to a church building.

When I sit down with a glass of iced tea and talk with a friend, I know God’s grace is there. Jesus promised that where two or three are gathered in his name, he is among them.

Sometimes I simply look out my window.

There is a magnificent elm tree in front of my apartment. I watch the squirrels scamper up and down its branches, and I am reminded that God made the tree, the squirrels, and me.

The Psalmist says that I am “fearfully and wonderfully made.”

No, I am not perfect. I have flaws. I am old now, and my body is not what it once was. Yet even as I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, God is here. God leads me beside still waters and gives me comfort.

I have also learned that grace does not mean escaping the consequences of my choices.

When I make a wrong choice, God does not necessarily remove the consequences. Instead, God gives me the grace and strength to walk through them, learn from them, and keep going.

When I struggle to understand, when I become frustrated, or when I simply do not know what comes next, God is still here—my very present help in time of trouble.

No, I have never seen God.

Yet I know God is here.

I do not understand it all. I am still on the road. I am still a pilgrim. I am still living in this world, just as you are.

So I live by faith.

One step at a time.

Sometimes I do not know where the next step will lead. I simply know it is the step I am called to take. And as I move my foot forward, I hear the promise:

“I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Perhaps that is why I call it mysterious grace.

I do not completely understand grace, and I no longer believe I have to. I only need enough faith to take the next step.

That is what I am learning now.

So come. Walk with me.

Let us walk side by side and discover where the road takes us.

And when we become tired, there is a place to stop.

There is room at the Table for you.

You are welcome here.

God’s grace is freely given.

Come and receive.

Open Heart. Open Hands. Clear Boundaries.

The Curious Pilgrim — Reflections on faith, family, and mysterious gra