Sara and I are not much on watching the Oscars, but we did see a bit of it go by the other night, and appreciated the quote Jerry Lewis used in accepting his lifetime achievement award.
“I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it for I shall not pass this way again.”
I have heard it before, and I really like it, especially if we read it as a glorious invitation, not a guilt-laced obligation. At it’s heart is a mindset that lives in the present, that celebrates the unique moments God places before us every day with a convergence of people and circumstances, and that invites us to live generously and kindly with all others, even if only for the moment they pass by us.
That is a life of grace. When I checked on the quote this morning I was surprised and blessed to find out that it was from a quote by a Quaker missionary from France to the United States, Stephen Grellet (born Etienne de Grellet du Mabillier) (1773-1855).
How cool is that?
