Tag: mercy

Little things add up

Every day I walk in my neighborhood I take my trash grabber with me and a bag for collecting trash while I walk. It is amazing how much trash there is floating around on a daily basis. The worst days are when it is windy on trash pickup day. Things blow all around.

Here and there, it all adds up. These all can be labeled in different ways:
Cigarette butts
Little alcohol bottles
Fast food trash
Yard trash
Tools
Masks
Gloves
Candy wrappers

Every day I walk around the neighborhood I come back with a plastic grocery bag full of trash. And it is a result of a variety of contributions from the neighborhood and as well as the people who drive through it.

And it makes me think about the daily things in my own life. I have my own bad habits, good habits, dangerous habits, healthy habits, careless habits, caring habits, mindful habits, and mindless habits….

As I gather up the collection of things in the neighborhood “on the daily” or “on the weekly” it is a bit of a reflection of what I am doing with my own life. Am I being intentional about cleaning up some of those bad habits? Have I become so accustomed to them that I don’t even see them anymore? I bet the people in my life notice them even if I don’t. And I have some little eyes and ears around every week who see and hear my reaction to things. I don’t want those little ones to catch bad habits from me.

As you think about your daily habits, be encouraged by your healthy ones. And consider working on one of the unhealthy ones. We all have some of both. But, if you find a habit that is blocking your progress in another area of your life, it might be time to make a change.

Establishing a new pattern can help bust an old habit. God knows how we are, but He also desires us to be moving towards healthier choices and better ways of communicating. If you take an honest assessment of how you are doing and offer it to God, He will surely equip you with resources to overcome those areas where you need a little help. He absolutely loves you just as you are. And He wants to be with you as you grow in love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness!

Father of Compassion

I stumble. I fall. I do those things I wish I would not do yet again.

Even though I get frustrated with myself, I have never once imagined God ready to pull His hair out because I am not “getting it.”

Instead, I see His mercy and grace and compassion.

It isn’t that the wrath of God does not exist. But the Bible illustrates many situations where God showed compassion: Jesus feeding the crowds, Jesus meeting the woman at the well, Jesus healing the many, many people He healed.

Maybe all of those different scenarios are for us to see ourselves in them.

God does not tire of hearing from us. When we are coming to Him it is usually out of our own need or we are coming on the behalf of others.

Even if we aren’t coming to Him with pure intentions He can take and shape our prayers to become “His will.”

As humans, we can get tired of repeated situations with the humans around us. Our fuses are sometimes short for our siblings, co-workers, neighbors, spouse, children, or grandchildren.

He is the Father of Compassion.

My prayer is that I respond as one who is frequently shown compassion, mercy, and grace. I hope to reflect my Father’s heart.

Compassion

It is much easier for me to think about forgiving others when I have taken stock of my own sins. I have plenty of them. Some have been traveling companions throughout my life.

I have a little stockpile of regrets and I imagine others might, too. How do I want my regrets received when I verbalize them? And how might I respond when others speak of their own regrets? We have all done things we shouldn’t have and we have all left things undone.

I don’t have to look very far to know that showing grace, mercy, and compassion to those who are sitting with regret. Sometimes the stories are difficult to hear. Sometimes there is no earthly resolution. But, there is the peace that God can give.

Confession is good for the soul. Our own regret can deepen our compassion for others. God longs for us to come to Him in confession. And we can offer to others the forgiveness and comfort we have received from Him.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,  who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV

Background noise

I have been a little more sensitive to noise lately. I wore headphones when I flew earlier this month. They were not total noise cancelling headphones but, wow, they sure dulled the roar of the plane. It was amazing the difference when I had them on.

What kind of background “noise” is going on in your mind and soul as you move through a day? Is it helpful? Kind? True? Sometimes the rumblings are anything but positive. And it is important to root those out and replace them. Sometimes they are one liners that were tossed your way during your childhood, maybe they were words from someone you trusted, or maybe they are thoughts you have about a circumstance.

Sometimes we are so used to hearing background noise that we don’t even realize its there. But it can shape our day, our week, and even our life.

Below are some Scripture verses you might consider inserting into the “noise” of your day. Turn up the volume on these! They are powerful and worth pondering. You can doodle them, embroider them, write them out and put them in places around your living space. They probably all have a song written based on them. Surround yourself with good news — good words. And share those with others, too!

Be willing to investigate some of the background noise you have been listening to. Chances are they are not good, helpful, kind or true.

Have some other favorites to share? I would love to see them!

John 16:33 (ESV)
“In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Philippians 4:6–7 (NIV)
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 34:4–5, 8 (ESV)
I sought the LORD, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

Romans 8:28 (ESV)
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.

Joshua 1:9 (ESV)
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Proverbs 3:5–6 (ESV)
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.

Romans 15:13 (NIV)
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Regrets

Oohhhh. I have a few. Do you?

In the past, if I had a sleepless night, I have run through all of the regrets I have.

What a waste of energy. I feel like that is a perfect way for my day to get derailed. And, God is certainly not behind that.

In some situations, there aren’t “do overs” and sometimes our miss “takes” have some serious consequences. Sometimes we have done things simply out of ignorance. Other times, we have done things out of rebellion. Sometime we have deliberately done things or deliberately not done things without truly understanding the ramifications. Have you ever done something even when you were “old enough to know better?” Yea, me too.

How do you deal with your regrets?

Here is what I try to do:

a) realize and admit to the misstep, mistake, sin — whatever it is.
b) recognize that there may be some damage that cannot be reversed
c) if I was doing the best I knew at the time, accept that
d) ask for forgiveness from God and, if possible, from the others who were impacted
e) forgive myself
f) bring it back to God when I am stuck at any one of these steps

As humans, we make mistakes, missteps, and we sin. Sometimes we do this out of ignorance and sometimes it is very deliberate. And there are times that the aftermath of our decisions has some devastating consequences. We are sinners and we are living and working with other sinners. It can be ugly out there. It can be ugly in my heart.

But, God — He takes all of it. He can work through all of it. He can handle all of it. He can forgive all of it. He can redeem all of it.

God can.

Let Him do what only He can do. It won’t make everything rosy and perfect. But, He will bring it together in a message of love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and redemption — over time.

Glory and Majesty

Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty. His righteousness never fails. He causes us to remember his wonderful works. How gracious and merciful is our Lord! Psalm 111:3-4

A look at Creation surely reveals God’s majesty. It is easy to be in awe: the stars that fill the sky or the transformation of the butterfly. And there is the personal side of things: the provision of a Savior, the gift of love and sacrifice through Jesus, the daily gifts of grace and mercy.

The day gets so busy and sometimes seems to run away with me. But allowing a pause — better yet, creating the pause, allows us that time to remember His works in our world and His work in our lives and His work on our hearts.

As you start each day, may you create the space to reflect on God’s glory and majesty. Dig a little deeper into Psalm 111 today. Start listing the things God has done or is doing. He is always working to reveal is glory and majesty. When we stop for a bit, sometimes we can catch a glimpse. And, when we are face-to-face with Him in Heaven, I am sure we will be in absolute awe!

Have mercy on me, O God

Psalm 51:1-6

Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
    blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
    and cleanse me from my sin!

3 For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
    and blameless in your judgment.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
    and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
    and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

Have mercy on me, O God

Originally, when I started this Lenten series, I was thinking about verbs and things that God asks of us through His Word. And then as I was processing the week and the highlighted verses, it seemed to me that I needed to shift the focus from what we should, can, or have been encouraged “to do” to what God has done.

It all starts with what God has done for us.

Can we give what we haven’t been given? No. Any mercy we can extend comes from the Mercy Giver.

So, as you go about your day, receive what God has gifted you. Consider His mercy today. And each day, during this Lenten season, let’s receive these good gifts from our Heavenly Father. An awareness of what we have been given better prepares us to give.

All the plans…

This pandemic was a surprise to me, but it was not a surprise to God.

This has been a year of making plans and readjusting them about 97 times. I am ever hopeful that there will be a new normal that looks somewhat similar to the old normal. But, I confess, I am a little discouraged.

Why even bother to make plans?

I am thankful that I have been relatively calm through this season of unknowns, but I attribute it to my natural tendency to be flexible. I don’t feel the need to be in charge of a lot of things. I also have watched God work out even the yucky things in my life, so I trust His “long run” plan, even though I don’t know all the pieces and parts. And, honestly, I am pretty sure I won’t love all what is coming. But I will try to rest in His grace and mercy, trust Him to right the wrongs, trust Him to comfort me, and be with me as I move forward.

We have today, my friend. Hold your plans loosely and love generously!

For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the Lord. ‘I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope. Jeremiah 29:11 New English Translation

Hello Friend! Day Thirteen

Hello Friend!

Have you noticed that when you aren’t paying attention, things can disintegrate?

A marriage.

A friendship.

A job.

A grade in a class.

Physical health.

You just can’t set some things on autopilot and expect they will stay on their path. There is so much happening around us at all times and the important things take intentional effort.

He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. Matthew 13: 24-26

While we are “sleeping” or distracted or deep in mourning or healing or ___________ (fill in the blank) some things that need our attention can fall by the wayside. Thankfully, God will forgive our inattentiveness and will work with us as we work towards a remedy. There may be some bumps in the road but this is life on Earth — there will always be bumpy roads! I am so thankful that He is merciful!

Love,
Liz

Hello Friend! Day Four

Hello Friend!

Yesterday the sermon at church was based on Luke 10:25-37. I have always loved the parable of The Good Samaritan. I hate that the neighbor was robbed and blown off by both the priest and the Levite who ought to have cared more about him, but I am thankful the Samaritan went out of his way to care for the wounded guy.

There seems to be no shortage of people needing mercy these days!

“Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.” Luke 10:36-37 ESV

I love how the Good Samaritan binds up the wounds and makes arrangements for the care of his wounded neighbor. He takes some time to directly care for this man but then he also moves on to what he had set off to do earlier, leaving behind some money for his care. I hadn’t thought about that before. He makes provision for him but isn’t the one to do all the “hands on” work.

As I dug into “mercy” just a wee bit more I didn’t get very far when I realized how many, many, many times we ask for mercy from the Lord. It’s all over God’s Word, particularly in the Psalms. It’s woven into our liturgy. Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. But mercy isn’t just for us to request and receive. In this parable, Jesus reminds us that mercy is for us to do!

Have I ever been a “good Samaritan”? Sure. But I have more often been the Levite and the priest. And, I am definitely the one who needs and receives an abundance of mercy. I need to remember that more.

When have you experienced mercy? When have you extended it? Do you find yourself withholding mercy because a person hasn’t shown themselves worthy?

Let’s be generous with mercy. We should dole it out at least as often as we request it.

Love,
Liz