But for the grace of God!

Two boys grow up on the same street. They have a wonderful childhood. They love to play kickball, hide-and-seek, and ride their bikes. They put baseball cards on the spokes of their bikes to make a motorcycle-like rat-a-tat engine sound. They both have strict instructions. They can stay out and play with friends. When mom yells that supper’s ready though, they are expected to come running.

They keep their heads down and work hard in high school. They’re both natural leaders. One becomes the president of the student council. The other becomes editor in chief of the school newspaper and the debate club. They go away to college and return home to start their careers. They seem to be on a righteous path.

But something happens.

The long and winding road

One starts to rise up the ladder. He becomes a manager and a few years later gets promoted to vice president. In no time, he’s running the whole darn show. He’s the CEO of the company. He’s got a big corner office and wealth and status seem to come easy for him. Everything he touches seems to turn to gold. He drives a nice imported car and lives with his family in a spacious house in the nice part of town.

The other man rises in his career too. He’s tagged as a high potential prospect. But something happens. Somewhere along the journey he takes a wrong turn. Before he knows what’s hit him, he finds himself on the wrong side of the tracks. Instead of a nice house, he finds himself spiraling out of control. He’s robbing Peter to pay Paul. In the time it takes to snap your fingers, one bad thing after another hits him.

His childhood sweetheart leaves him. The job he loved lets him go in a massive layoff. They give him a handshake and a thank you and send him on his way. The investment that he had been socking away his money goes belly up. He can’t seem to catch a break. He takes three steps back for every one step forward. He looks in the mirror one day to find himself divorced, deep in debt, uncertain where his next meal is going to come, and living out of a shelter.

Two men, two similar paths, but vastly different outcomes. How does this happen?

What happened to you?

I thought of this watching a video that New York Times Best Selling Author Mitch Albom created recently for his new book Twice. Albom phrased it like this:

“I once spent a night at a homeless shelter to write a story, and a man there recognized me, and came up and said, “what happened to you?” I laughed until I realized he wasn’t laughing and that’s when I truly learned the meaning of the expression, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.”

It’s like something out of a bad Hollywood movie where we all live in two universes. In one, we’re living in one reality that looks much like current state. In the other universe, we’re faced with all the bad mistakes we’ve made and setback after setback spins us out of our control.

There, but for the grace of God, go I.

Having empathy for others!

The simple phrase “there, but for the grace of God, go I” is often attributed to English preacher John Bradford who would say something similar when seeing prisoners led to their execution. They were the original “Dead Man Walking.” It was his way of saying it easily could have been him. It signified empathy, humility, and the understanding that your own good fortune isn’t self-earned, but a gift. It recognizes our vulnerability and and our dependence on divine favor.

In an ironic twist, Bradford was accused of heresy and treason by Queen Mary and burned at the stake in July 1555.

Yes, there, but for the grace of God, go I.

My doppelgänger Brian

I’ve certainly had my share of challenges. Maybe it’s the Christmas season we’ve just finished or seeing others struggle, but I know that God most certainly has played a role in my own life. Whatever good that has come to me has been because of God. I find that I often contemplate where I could’ve gone wrong. I wonder where my mini-me Brian could’ve ended up in a different spot than I am today.

And it’s why I try to help others. It’s also why I like to give thanks.

Straight from the headlines

For example, I watched the news the other night and saw a long line of illegal immigrants in handcuffs. They were being carted off to an unknown center for processing and deportation. Some guy interviewed for the story was doing the typical finger pointing and name calling. “Come here the right way, the legal way. Otherwise, go home.”

Immigration is an important issue. Reasonable people can have different opinions. But it hit me. Where’s the empathy? Where’s the humility? By blind luck, I was born a U.S. citizen. If I wasn’t so fortunate and I struggled to survive, I suspect I might make some of the same desperate choices that we see many illegal immigrants making.

I don’t know. I suspect others would make some similar choices. It’s a tough spot to be in.

Yes, there, but for the grace of God, go I.

Check out the video: Mitch Albom & Twice Video

Do you ever wonder what other directions your life could have taken? Or is it just me?