The familiar phrase, “There but for the grace of God go I,” is often spoken when we witness hardship in others and feel spared by divine intervention. It implies separation: I am fortunate, and by the grace of God I have avoided that fate. While this recognition can inspire humility, it can also reinforce a subtle distance between ourselves and those who suffer.
Now consider a shift in language and perspective: “There with the grace of God go I.” This rephrasing suggests something more inclusive. Instead of being saved from the experience, we acknowledge that we walk with it, embracing both the suffering and the grace as part of a shared experience.
In this view, the grace of God is not a shield that keeps us separate but a light that allows us to enter into the experience fully, whether it is ours or another’s. To say “There with the grace of God go I” is to affirm oneness rather than separation. The hunger of another is not simply their karma—it is our karma to feed them. Their sickness, grief, or misfortune does not exist in isolation; it is part of the collective thought that is the God consciousness. Through the grace of God, this shared experience is realized.
The grace of God is forgiveness, compassion, and understanding, as well as the endless opportunity to make better choices through the law of karma. If we can view the experiences of others with that grace — with compassion and without judgment — we not only grow individually, but we may be spared from having that very same experience ourselves. This is a truth the wise masters recognized early on in their own spiritual growth.
Thus, “There with the grace of God go I” becomes a call to live in harmony, compassion, and humility. Grace is not what lifts us above the struggles of others; it is what connects us to them, allowing us to walk together with empathy, learn from one another, and move closer to a union with the consciousness of God.
Grow in light and grow in peace.
