but for the grace of God go i

heard these lyrics by keith urban on the radio today:


"I can hear the neighbors
They're arguin' again
And there hasn't been peace on our street
Since who knows when
I don't mean to listen in
But the shoutin' is so loud
I turn up the radio to drown it out
And silently I say a little prayer

But for the grace of God go I
I must've been born a lucky guy
Heaven only knows how I've been blessed
With the gift of your love
And I look around and all I see
Is your happiness embracing me
Oh Lord I'd be lost
But for the grace of God

I can see that old man
He's walking past our door
And I've been told that he's rich
But he seems so poor
'Cause no one comes to call on him
And his phone it never rings
He wanders through his empty home
Surrounded by his things
And silently I say a little prayer, yes I do

But for the grace of God go I
I must've been born a lucky guy
Heaven only knows how I've been blessed
With the gift of YOUR love
And I look around and all I see
Is your happiness embracing me
Oh Lord I'd be lost
But for the grace of God"

how true!  as a single gal, i'm very fond of reading between the lines of love songs and finding ways to apply them to my life, even though i'm not in a romantic relationship.  there are so many people that have blessed me with the gift of their love, and it is such a good reminder to me whenever i get down on myself or on my life: no matter what i may not have, i need to think about what i DO have, which is many people in my life that make it a true gift, worth living, even on the toughest days.  

have you ever experienced a near-tragedy or near-accident?  i feel like these happen to me ALL THE TIME.  just today, a crazy bostonian cut off several people in traffic on my way home from school and i had to slam on my brakes to avoid a huge crash.  when it was over, i realized my hands were cramping from gripping the steering wheel so tight, my stomach was in knots, my teeth were gritting, and my heart had stopped.  my first reaction should have been to say a prayer of gratitude.  instead, i cursed at the driver who caused the mayhem.  my second thought was, "but for the grace of God go i".  

even on ordinary days, which are really not so ordinary at all, we can all say, "but for the grace of God go i."  we are not here by chance, and we are not here because we deserve it.  we are here because of grace.