Grace and Courtesy

Grace, Gratitude and Goodness Gratitude has become popular these days. Psychology has caught up to biblical theology in understanding that a grateful disposition is connected to a healthy mind. What becomes strange to me is the fact that, without Christ, we don't have a direction for our gratitude.  It is a wonderful thing that we can be thankful that we have another day of life, or that we get to work with children (what a privilege!) or that we have food in our refrigerators. But we miss out on deeper joy if we don't know to whom we can be grateful. There is a Person who has given these things to us. Getting to the Person--namely, Jesus--allows us to get to the praise, producing deep joy. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. Psalm 100:4 I often like to tell the children in my care that I am thankful for them, that they are in my class and that I get the chance to see them. This reiterates the reali...

Starting with apologies I've made a rather terrible mistake. How dare I create a blog called grace and courtesy without explaining what grace and courtesy actually means? Well, I will remedy that now. Hopefully, you can grant me the grace to forgive me and now take heed (see what I did there?). The term is widespread throughout Western culture, but it can be used in many different ways. When we think of courtesy, that could mean showing politeness or good manners. In that same vein, it can also mean doing a service for someone en gratis , or for free. The first definition leans more towards what Montessorians mean when we speak of grace and courtesy as a phrase. But grace has quite a few meanings too. It can speak of a refinement in movement (graceful dancer), or even a prayer. Looking at the etymology of the words reveal that grace has much more to do with a state of being (being gracious or grateful) whereas court esy is more about actions (manners fit for a court; curtsy). Mari...