Mercy and Grace

I'm learning to love God's mercy and grace. It's strange to say that because I think I've felt deep gratitude for His mercy and grace in the past, but to delight in them and love them is a different sentiment and experience altogether.

God has continuously taught me about rest and receiving over the past year, and one of the gifts I must discipline myself to receive is His mercy and grace. And that's a pretty big deal because if I'm not receiving it - not accepting it - then I'm rejecting the greatest gift that God's ever given me.

I'm not a parent yet, but I (usually) enjoy watching other people parent. It's very interesting. They are not half aware as I am of their words and actions because they are totally caught up in the moment. The parents I most closely observe are my brother and sister. I've noticed that my sister has a hard time taking things away from her children that will disappoint them, even if they deserve it. For example, one of her sons was completely disrespectful one day and was told numerous times to change his attitude or he would miss out on going to the State Fair, an event he had been expectantly awaiting for weeks. Alas, the child did not change his attitude and lost the privilege of going to the Fair with his family, which was completely fair in itself (no pun intended). Well, my sister had an incredibly hard time leaving him behind; she just couldn't stand the thought of him at home while the rest of the family enjoyed the fried food, rides and petting zoo. She knew how much it meant to him, so she ultimately let him go. He did not deserve it - he deserved to stay at home - but he received grace and mercy from my sister that day.

What if he hadn't accepted it? What if he had denied my sister's graciousness and stayed at home alone sulking in his pity?

The truth is that God is constantly pouring out abundant, unimaginable grace and mercy upon us that we do not deserve. However, many of us do not live in the light of this truth, and our hearts reject these precious gifts. At times it looks like withholding forgiveness from ourselves or others, living in fear or shame, allowing sin patterns to dominate our lives, or trying to control everything so nothing gets out of hand. I believe that when we behave in these ways we are "saying no to the fair". And this denial of grace and mercy acceptance is not equivalent to missing out on a 3-hour long family event that cost $10.00 - it's missing out on living a full life that cost God His Only Son.

I've decided to start really accepting that God's perfect will is to lavish me in grace and mercy. And the Word says that His mercies are new every morning - they are never going to run out. I don't have to be scared to live because even if I mess up, He's already paid the perfect price to cover and redeem my mistake. And I don't have to beat up on myself or others for doing things wrong because God is in charge and He is the gracious one, and He tells me to show mercy and it's becoming easier as I fully accept His.

My boss and dear friend was recently talking about grace and how she used to not understand or accept it. She said, "Every time I did something wrong I felt like a coconut was going to fall out of the sky and pop me on the head." I laughed because that image is hilarious, but we have to be honest and admit that we all feel like that sometimes. We feel like at any moment God could be mad at us or give up on us. Well, instead of feeling that way, it's high time we self-evaluate how well we are at receiving His grace and mercy, and then meditate on the fact that these are His greatest gifts to us.

Remember, dear child, God lavishes you with grace and mercy. He delights in doing so. He gave His whole Life - mind, body, and Spirit - to you. And we are set free - no coconuts and a free trip to the fair.