Monday, August 5, 2013

Morning Mercies



Morning Mercies

Lamentations 3:22-23 New International Version (NIV)
22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

A few weeks ago, I went to church with two different earrings dangling from my ears. No, I wasn’t making a fashion statement. I’d just dressed in a hurry.

A friend approached me after the service to talk. During the course of our conversation, she noticed and graciously brought it to my attention. I promptly removed them and stashed the offending jewels in my purse. Fashion faux pas resolved with, I hope, minimal harm to my vanity.

But what if that little mistake hadn’t been so easily rectified? What if it had been a longer-lasting error?

Like a misspelled tattoo. (A young man with whom I’m acquainted had this happen. Fortunately, his shirt covers it most of the time.)

Or the Lands’ End company logo. (Should have been Land’s End, but they couldn’t afford to get the sign re-made.)

A lot of things in life are mistakes we can’t change. The cupcake we can’t un-eat. The time we can’t un-waste. The harsh words we can’t unsay.

How much of our lives do we spend fretting over things we can’t alter? We sink into melancholy or our blood pressure sky-rockets. (Just think of the last time someone cut you off in traffic.)

But His mercies are new every morning. His compassions never fail. His faithfulness is indeed great.

What if we, as Christians, take His mercies and extend them to others—and to ourselves? What if we choose to be less critical? More grace-full? More forgiving?

What if we pay attention to what we do right rather than drilling down the microscope on our mistakes? Our blood pressure goes down. Joy returns. Peace reigns.

Would we notice the difference? Would our families?

16 comments:

  1. Great Post, Lora. My mind's dwelt on God's mercy this weekend. :)

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    1. Not a bad thing to dwell on, Crystal. It doesn't come naturally to me, but I'm working on it. :)

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  2. Wonderful thoughts and a wonderful way to start the day!

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    1. Thanks, Britney. Easy words to write. Not so easy to live out. But His mercies are new every morning!

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    2. And His strength too. So thankful that it never runs out. :)

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  3. Great food for thought, Lora. Thank you for this post. :)

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    1. You're welcome, Jodie. This growing stuff - good thing we have each other.

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  4. What a great post to remind us of God's grace. I have to constantly remind myself that God isn't watching for my mistakes. He's watching to see how I respond to them.

    Have a great week, ya'll.

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    1. Perspective is so very important - how we PICTURE His Presence - GREAT POST, Lora!

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    2. Thanks, Joy. It's so easy to lose sight of His great love for us.

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  5. This is great! About not dwelling on our mistakes. This is definitely something we all need to work on, especially me. :)

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    1. You're definitely not alone, Calico. My daughter (wise beyond her years) once told me, "No one is looking at your mistakes, Mom. We're all too busy looking at our own."

      Sad, but true.

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  6. I can't tell you how many times I've done that, not just with earrings but shoes and socks, too! Great post!

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    1. My gracious friend said the same thing. I'll have to admit it was a first for me. Twenty years ago, I would have been mortified. Instead, I just laughed it off. I'm learning... :)

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