There but for the Grace of God Go I

We've all heard this sentence before, and many of us have probably said or at least thought it in response to different scenes we encounter, maybe like the one below.

I think because it uses words like "God" and "grace" people tend to think it's some sort of hgh-minded, spiritually mature thing to say.  I'll bet though that most of them, like me, haven't ever really stopped to consider the deeper implications of it.

It only recently struck me how totally inaccurate, degrading, and separating that mindset is.  I can see nothing about it that's enlightened or aligned with spiritual truth.  When I say or think that sentence, it basically says, "I sure am glad I'm not that guy." Not only that, but it also suggests that I'm somehow deserving of God's grace while the other person isn't.  And finally it emphasizes the separation and differences between myself and the other person.  These are hardly values and perspectives of an enlightened spirit with a truly love-based relationship with God/Spirit/Source/etc.

From the perspective of oneness or connectedness, a more accurate restating of the sentence might be, "There with him and God am I."  Instead of celebrating the fact that I don't share someone else's condition, I remember and respond from my true nature when I acknowledge the shared humanity that links us and the shared spirit that indwells us all.  This then leads to an entirely different response than the original statement, motivating more positive healing action and less indifference and self-focus.