Mercy

Luke 6:36

36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Two mornings ago I woke at the same time as I have for the last three weeks, and I hopped online in our 5AM prayer group and dug in.

Throughout the entire prayer I couldn't stop telling the Lord thank you. It got to the point where I was giggling about it because I had such a spirit of gratitude and it brought me abundant joy.

Fast forward to today. It was a strange day. Up until today I have been mentally unaffected by this interesting time we're living in.

Yes, we are personally living off of 1/3 of our income. Yes, I've been denied for unemployment. Yes, we have bills to pay. Yes ... yes ... yes ... Mentally I knew all of those things but they couldn't steal my joy.

And then came today. And came paying the mortgage. And came paying the medical bills. And came budgeting for the month. And greater than any of that was the 2.5 year old tantrums and not listening, and attitude, and unfortunate meltdowns, all before lunch time.

I am not going to lie. I wanted to cry from about 9:30AM - 12:30PM. It was such a strange day for sure. And since my toddler refused to nap, I put her in her car, buckled her in and headed to the bank.

As I pulled up to the drive-thru both lanes were full. The lane I really wanted to go through, the one I knew would be the shortest and the cleanest with less buttons to push, wasn't the one I drove up to. Why? The Holy Spirit told me to go to the opposite lane. So begrudgingly with eyes a rolling, I did. I pulled up to the slow lane. I sat there and waited and watched as the other car left the line I wanted to be in, and I watched another truck pull up and get waited on; all-the-while still sitting behind the car I didn't want to get behind.

What did it matter after all? I was probably only there an extra 5 minutes. Right?

Well, on the way home from the bank traffic slowed on the highway and then it came to a stop. I could see an ambulance ahead and emergency personel on the scene. It was clear that this awful wreck had just happened, as the officers were still arriving and letting vehicles through a scene that eventually became blocked off.

And just like that, things became clear again. All of the frustration and anger and worry that I had experienced in the morning kind of just melted away. I had let all of life's little nuances get to me and still the Lord was merciful enough to guide my irritated self right on into the slow lane at the bank -- giving me a time cushion that potentially was protection.

Extra mercy. It was extended to me today. Even when I was irritated. Even when I was upset and even when I wasn't at my best. And let me tell you, nothing convicts the heart of a mother like the heart of a Father who shows extra mercy.

As I continued our drive home, conviction started to sink in. Friends, our kids are feeling all of this too. They are off of their schedules. They are out of their routines. They are missing their friends and their play grounds and their regularly scheduled things. So I want to encourage you to show them extra mercy. Even when you don't feel like it. Even if it's hard. Even when it's messy. Even if you want to cry, just do it. Don't let them walk all over you but love them with extra mercy. Guide them into the slow lane, be their extra cushion of protection. It's hard. I didn't do it well today. And I know I won't always do it right but I am thankful for a merciful God and I am thankful that He Himself, shows us how to extend mercy.