While visiting Japan I had a breakfast meeting with my sponsor at a resort hotel. Sitting in a corner of the dining room, our meeting went on beyond the time breakfast was served, and the staff was cleaning the dining room tables. I felt bad about occupying a table during the cleaning period, but no one said anything, so my sponsor and I continued.

Our meeting went on into the time that the lunch buffet opened, and I thought for sure we should leave, since the buffet was expensive and the hotel might think we were trying to stay for a free lunch.  At that point a waiter came to us with a tray. I thought he was going to ask us to leave, but when I looked at the tray, he was bringing us a tea service. “I thought you might like some refreshment,” he told us as he served us graciously.

I was deeply touched by this thoughtful act. My mind had gone into guilt about overstaying our welcome, but the waiter’s mind went to love and kindness. (This is very typical of the Japanese culture, which I appreciate so much.)

If you would like to do an uplifting exercise to undo fear and guilt, take a piece of paper and write down everything you think is wrong about you and your life. List physical, relationship, financial, and spiritual issues, and anything else you can think of. Then hold the paper between your hands and pray sincerely. “Dear God, please let me be wrong about all of this.”

Your prayer is answered instantly because all of your judgments about what is wrong are wrong. When you are intent on being right about what is wrong, what is wrong stays wrong. When you have more of an investment about being right about what is right, what is right gets better.

If your mind goes to guilt or what is wrong, remember that when fear is ready to kick you out, love would serve you tea.

What aspects of grace are caring for you now? Can you believe that grace will continue to provide for you?