Live United, By Ann Austin

Ann Austin is the executive director of the United Way of Freeborn County.

I was grateful to be present in the audience for a remarkable show that happened at the Interchange a few weekends ago by a very talented group of people.

Ariel and Aaron Winter, a couple my husband and I have grown closer to recently, played the most beautiful rendition of Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah” (a song originally penned by Leonard Cohen).

Many people were crying because it was so touching — it was one of the favorites of the night.

It’s not really a happy song. It’s quite somber and a little violent, but still so full of hope.

The emotions the song evokes are deep and resonating with the very nature of human existence. We struggle, cause each other pain; there isn’t always an answer or a clear path moving forward, but there is always hope.

The song comes from Buckley’s “Grace” album — which is one of the most beautiful compilations of music I own. I used to listen to it in college, especially after heartbreak, and it would provide  perspective and help me recognize I was not alone in my suffering.

I never really understood until now, when I thought of writing a column about grace, how fitting the title is for his album. We are very much in need of grace throughout our lives.

But grace is not an easy thing.

Human beings are so messy. I know I say this often, but it’s important to remember.

Even if we think we have everything figured out and our lives are stabilized, chaos can happen and uproot everything we’ve built. Sometimes the chaos is out of our control and sometimes our choices lead us there.

Chaos is part of life. It’s part of having a physical body that eventually breaks down over time, living on a planet that is prone to volcanic activity and the shifting of tectonic plates, in the middle of a universe filled with meteors that are spinning recklessly about.

Human beings have been very successful at creating environments that provide for our essential needs, protect us from the elements and any other chaos that can happen on an external level.

We are not very good at protecting ourselves from internal chaos. We struggle from uncertainty, the challenges of close personal relationships; the challenges of trying to get along with people we don’t agree with. We even struggle with which way the toilet paper roll should face.

Human beings are so full of drama.

This is where Grace comes in.

There are many definitions of grace. But I believe grace encompasses even more than what we know to define. It’s the counter to any experience of fear, distrust, envy, anger; any experience of lying or manipulation. Grace is the ability to see beyond our individual messiness and recognize that all human beings suffer and all human beings face some kind of internal chaos.

Grace is a silent recognition of our common struggle — and the hope that we can overcome it, together. That none of us have to live in darkness and none of us are alone.

Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of a concept — “infinite hope.” He said that infinite hope is what will lead us to create a world we all want to live in, where we all feel safe and loved. Without grace, we will not be able to maintain hope — or engage in something as brave as infinite hope.

Grace is never giving up on each other — even when we have to take a step back at times. Grace is being open to figuring things out. Grace is hoping for the best, even when we’ve been hurt. Grace is recognizing “love is not a victory march — it’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah.” But love is worth our struggle, and understanding what love is and should be in its healthiest form is the greatest challenge we face in our journey together.