Poor in Spirit

After a few light hearted posts I thought I would lay some heavier thoughts on all you lovely readers. :)

This current season in my life has been trying yet beautiful.  I'm slowly gaining a greater knowledge of grace and all that it entails.  All I know about grace is that God gives it everyday and I'm now accepting it as a child, without reservation and guiltless gratitude.  I feel so often I must come to the Lord already put together perfectly having figured out my purpose, mastered the ability to love others as myself, and created a selfless life to be admired.  We wouldn't need a God if we could do all of that on our own.  Grace, so much grace.

I am reading The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning and it's words are speaking with conviction and clarity.  It shares the not-so-new-yet-valuable idea of becoming poor in spirit.  At first glance we wonder why anyone would want to live in any sort of poverty. 

"Awareness of our poverty and ineptitude cause us to rejoice in the gift of being called out of darkness into wondrous light and translated into the kingdom of God's beloved son." 

Poverty in a worldly sense creates a humble spirit.  I have seldom met a poor person with an ego.  It introduces a simple life void of meaningless items that we forget we have and collect dust in our closets.  It creates a heart of gratitude for the small things and more compassion to give to those who share in this poverty. 
Poverty in a spiritual sense is knowing our lack of goodness and flawed existence.  Poor in spirit is acknowledging this state and accepting the grace without feeling the need to prepare to be accepted.  We are accepted just as we come.

We are to become poor in spirit but where to go from there?
"...the disciple who is truly poor in spirit always leaves the other person feeling, My life has been enriched by talking to you.  This is neither false modesty nor phony humility.  His or her life has been enriched and graced.  He is not all exhaust and no intake.  She does not impose herself on others.  He listens well because he knows he has so much to learn from others.  Her spiritual poverty enables her to enter the world of the other, even when she cannot identify with that world.  The poor in spirit are the most nonjudgmental of peoples... "

We become poor in spirit to fully love those around us.  To pass on the compassion that we received by grace so that may love at all.

Love,
  Nicole