Speaker 1: 0:03

Welcome to Grace Among Us, the podcast where we unearth the many faces and places of grace and share stories of the power of grace in our human lives. Our desire is that this will inspire you to see grace in your own life and share it with others.

Carri Richard: 0:20

Richard, I am a mindset coach who helps people make space and enjoy the ride. I'm here with Ebony Gilbert and we are going to talk about no surprise. Grace, grace, yes, hi, Ebony.

Ebony Gilbert: 0:38

Good morning, good day, Carri. (Carri - How are you?) I'm good, I'm so good. It's Friday. I'm excited about that. The end of a week, the beginning of a weekend.

Carri Richard: 0:51

Yeah, how are you? I'm fabulous, (Ebony - Oustanding), I'm excited to be here with you. I like sometimes we change up the times that we meet and shift, kind of

Speaker 1: 1:03

Shakes it up a little bit.

Carri Richard: 1:04

Yeah, Kind of gets me out of my comfort zone, even a little bit more. So thank you, hey. I think you know today we're going to talk about Heaven's Net.

Ebony Gilbert: 1:19

Yes, we are.

Carri Richard: 1:21

Yes, we are, and do you want to get us started. What is that? What does Heaven's Net mean to you?

Ebony Gilbert: 1:30

What does Heaven's Net mean to me? Prior to about 30 days ago, not much. And then these two people I know decided to create this event and curate this agenda and Heaven's Net was the inspired topic. So I've been thinking about it a lot more lately and I don't know if I've firmed up my full thought around it. But I can tell you this much when I think of a net and I'm from a small fishing town and there's lots of boating and things of that sort but I think of a net, I think of something that catches a bunch of stuff.

Speaker 1: 2:13

It's a catch-all. You know it's a place where things get caught up.

Ebony Gilbert: 2:21

It sounds very restricting, but it's also very protective and very inclusive. So I think of something being captured, but not in a prison way.

Carri Richard: 2:38

No hostages (Ebony - no hostages). I gotcha. yea, uh,

Ebony Gilbert: 2:47

Which is a very elementary understanding right, but I'm still developing and thinking about it. What are your thoughts about it?

Carri Richard: 2:54

Well, that's what I love about it. I just actually heard it in passing a while ago and it was like kind of caught me up like, Heaven's Net?

Ebony Gilbert: 3:04

Pun intended? It caught you up?

Carri Richard: 3:05

Oh, that's oh Nice, catch Catch.

Carri Richard: 3:12

Ha Nice catch, oh my gosh, we could just do this for the whole time, but we won't. We promise, we promise. So it is Like I can't fall through the cracks, you know, when I am reliant on something bigger than me, on God, like there's this net. There are these sayings out here, "leap in, the net will appear. Or, you know, don't do this doing something without a net, and all this, but like in, you know, with grace, it's always there, that net is always there, and I can either believe that or I cannot believe it. And, truth be told, I don't always believe it.

Ebony Gilbert: 4:09

And what happens? You said something yeah, go ahead, go ahead, go ahead.

Carri Richard: 4:12

Go ahead.

Ebony Gilbert: 4:13

You said something. You said I can't fall between the cracks. So a net has holes in it. To me, the net is the grace. The holes are free will. You can remain contained in the net, but you got to breathe. You know, you still have a view, you still have a glimpse into the outside world, the surrounding area. You can still see. It's not prison, it's not solitary confinement. You can breathe, you can have free will, but you're still caught up with the safety of knowing I'm not going to fall between these cracks Now if I want to claw out, If you want to bring your buck knife and you want to do it yourself, cut a hole, you know cut your way through the net's not going to stop you.

Ebony Gilbert: 5:00

Yeah, but when you said I'm not going to fall between the cracks, I had this vision of the holes in the net and, like you, think of fishing. The fish aren't falling through the holes, but they can still breathe and they can still function and they're still part of this environment, even though they're contained in this net.

Speaker 1: 5:20

Right.

Ebony Gilbert: 5:20

I'd like to think that we're contained in this net with free will, with the safety and security of grace the net, but there's still holes.

Carri Richard: 5:30

Absolutely. It's not restrictive, no, it's supportive. And the question you know, I've been playing with the idea of, like when I'm fearful, or when I am afraid to do something, or I put my guard up like I'm going to be protecting myself, right, I ask myself am I believing that I'm in heaven's net? And most of the time when I'm in that space, the answer is no. So on the flip side of that, if I remember I'm in heaven's net, like what can I not do and why am I afraid?

Ebony Gilbert: 6:24

Because who's holding the other side of the net?

Carri Richard: 6:26

It's not me. The good Lord so, I don't know if confidence is the right word. It's like that question that gets bantered about, like what would I do if I couldn't fail?

Ebony Gilbert: 6:52

What would I do if I couldn't fail? What would you do?

Carri Richard: 7:02

I would sing in front of people. (Ebony Yeah?) I love to sing. I sing in my car. I'm afraid, I'm afraid, (Ebony - uh-oh, I think we have an activity for you) oh good Lord.

Ebony Gilbert: 7:18

I could say, I mean, I could look back, I could look back, I could look back I could look back.

Carri Richard: 7:23

I could say, I could look back. I could look back. I probably would have said things I had held back on. You know, I might have taken risks that I didn't take. There are regrets that I have that I didn't say what I needed to say or express something to somebody, to a loved one, or something like that. I'm sure I could make a whole list. Ebony, how about you? What would you do if you couldn't fail?

Ebony Gilbert: 8:02

I think it would eliminate the hesitancy in trying to do things. I'd go for it. And the truth of the matter is well, let me ask you this, Let me ask you this the way you defined failure when you were in those moments, that fear of failure during those moments, do you define failure the same way today, comparatively speaking to how you defined it back then? So what was fearful and stopped you from saying those things and doing those things 10, 20 years ago, those regrets Looking back, was that fear of failure rational? And in some cases I'm sure it is. Or now, at this point in your life, you're like there was no failure, I wouldn't have failed either way.

Carri Richard: 8:47

I didn't have that discernment at all. It was, "I might offend them, anger them. I might put myself in a situation where I wouldn't, 1. I wouldn't look good or people weren't going to like me anymore.

Ebony Gilbert: 9:10

The holes in the net.

Carri Richard: 9:13

Yeah, yeah. And today I still have fear. I mean, I don't know that I'm going to be cured of that, and that's probably a good thing. It's a but it's more of a signal to get curious than it is to like just put a halt to it and run the other way.

Ebony Gilbert: 9:38

If you could replace the fear of failure with something else that's within the net, what would it be?

Carri Richard: 9:50

Ask me that, ask, ask me that again.

Ebony Gilbert: 9:53

So the fear of failure is outside of the net, right.

Carri Richard: 9:56

Oh, I like it.

Ebony Gilbert: 9:59

And you got these holes so you can see it and you can experience it, yeah. If you replace that with what's in the net, what would it be?

Carri Richard: 10:09

So what's in the net is like abundant, unceasing love and encouragement and confidence and like "do it, do it. If that's on your heart, do it. It's there for a reason.

Ebony Gilbert: 10:28

You said something a little while ago. You said well, I didn't have the discernment. Back then, I think discernment is one of those things, and then that as well, like it, helps you to discern. Is it wise for me to do this at this moment, not because of fear, but is this the right time and the right place for it?

Carri Richard: 10:47

Yeah.

Ebony Gilbert: 10:49

Is that whole pause and slow down for a minute?

Carri Richard: 10:53

I'll tell you what I love that. You say that because it's interesting. I probably decide not to say a lot of things today, but for a very different reason. Not because I'm afraid, because they're not necessary, yeah.

Speaker 1: 11:13

They're not loving?

Carri Richard: 11:15

They're probably not. I've probably got something going on that I'm gonna spill over onto somebody else, right?

Ebony Gilbert: 11:24

How will this help in this moment? You know, will these words help anything in this moment?

Carri Richard: 11:30

And I love to explain and complicate things, so I don't need to do that.

Ebony Gilbert: 11:40

But for me it's the slowing down.

Carri Richard: 11:46

So if fear of failure is outside the net, what's inside the net from your perspective?

Ebony Gilbert: 11:55

There is no failure in the net. If I claw my way outside of the net, if I claw myself outside of grace, outside of the will, outside of the kingdom, there's failure. But even that can be work for your good and you'll always be welcome back into the net. But within the net there is no failure. There is a hymn I really like "there's no failure, He'll finish what he started. So for me I would eliminate the option of failure altogether in the net.

Carri Richard: 12:33

Yeah.

Ebony Gilbert: 12:34

I'm protected (Carri - Absolutely) and I'm in a community. Nothing exists in the net by itself. I'm not doing life alone in the net, so even if I mess up, I'm surrounded by folks who are in the same net with me. Who have my back.

Carri Richard: 12:53

Absolutely.

Ebony Gilbert: 12:55

And I can trust that, wherever my actions land in the net, I don't have to be fearful of offence if I'm in the net and I'm operating in that grace and in the love. Now I'm not there yet but, it would eliminate, it would replace fear with there is no failure.

Carri Richard: 13:19

Yeah, so if there is no failure, what would you do?

Ebony Gilbert: 13:29

Trying to do it these days. Slow down and make sure I have guided steps. There's no failure, but there can be missteps. I can go from here to the corner in a straight shot, or I can go the wrong way, still get to the same corner, but it's going to take a hell of a lot longer. If there's no failure, let me slow down and assess the situation that I'm in or that I'm faced with, or whatever, and make sure I'm going in the most guided way to get to where I need to be, whether it's a conversation, a situation, a moment controlling my own emotions. Just pause. Pause for that discernment. I'm working on that.

Carri Richard: 14:15

I just got an image of you know when I'm spot on or I'm aligned to guided steps, like if I'm listening and I'm taking the guided steps. There's not a lot of effort and it's almost like I'm not fighting, that I'm in the net, but if I'm trying to get out of the net and do it my way, that's a lot of effort.

Carri Richard: 14:44

That's a lot of effort, you know. I think of all the movies and stuff where, like, people get snatched up into a net and they're like, oh, you know, and that's what I do when I don't listen.

Ebony Gilbert: 15:03

I'm excited about talking more and hearing more about what Heavens Net means to people on March 13.

Carri Richard: 15:16

Absolutely, me too. It's a beautiful community that is gathering and there is still some space (Ebony - ) Please come. Yeah, come have fun, because when we're supported not only in community but by this beautiful net that has got us. I'm excited to see what's on people's hearts and what they may be encouraged to undertake or move forward on or understand or come to terms with or be excited about, with the support of no failure.

Ebony Gilbert: 16:03

What's in the net for you? Yeah, is it confidence? Is it a sermon? And what's outside the net for you? Is it insecurity? Is it your past? What's outside of the net and what's in the net for you? And how do we ensure that what's outside of the net? Does it distract us from the benefits of being in the net yeah. The benefit package is amazing. It's fabulous.

Carri Richard: 16:29

It's really there's a lot of perks in there. It's, it's tenure. There you go. University of life tenure professor that is correct. And the question. Another question could be am I in the net? If you've got something new or something uncomfortable, it's like, Am I operating from the net or am I operating? Have I taken my buck knife and split a hole and and?

Ebony Gilbert: 17:04

I'm flailing in this ocean of life and I'm slipping out.

Carri Richard: 17:09

And we're all waving to you Come on, come back, come on in.

Ebony Gilbert: 17:14

I don't have an anchor holding me Now. I'm sinking. Instead of being held. Great questions, let's explore it more. I'm excited, so let March 13th through the 15th Camp.

Carri Richard: 17:31

Piankatank, Virginia on the river. Come see us, come see us, come celebrate with us, have fun with us.

Speaker 1: 17:42

Have fun with us yeah, I like it.

Carri Richard: 17:43

This is good. All right, Ebony, anything to wrap it up.

Ebony Gilbert: 17:51

One thought, I know if I don't mess it up because I just got it, I didn't have time to articulate it. The net is smaller than the surrounding area. Ocean' s always bigger than the net. The sea, the gulf, is always bigger than the net. That's okay, it is okay. That's okay - Because you know who's holding the net.

Carri Richard: 18:21

Yeah, and there is room for everybody.

Ebony Gilbert: 18:24

And there's room for everybody, and there's room for everybody.

Carri Richard: 18:28

There's room for everybody.

Ebony Gilbert: 18:31

And sometimes the net has the rest of the bottom for a little while to do all the collecting it needs to do Before it gets lifted up. Those are my thoughts.

Speaker 1: 18:40

I love it.

Ebony Gilbert: 18:41

You're going to play with that a little bit. Okay, all right, outstanding, until next time. We'll see you soon and grace out.

Speaker 1: 18:53

Thank you so much for joining us. If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know. We'd love to hear from you and share it with a friend. Also, please be sure to subscribe so you're notified when a new episode is posted. We hope you're leaving with another pointer to grace, A new perspective that will light it up in your own life. Until next time, be well, be bold, be kind to yourself and be on the lookout.