"New Mercies- Every Day!"

I remember years ago when I first took a Spiritual Gifts Assessment test.  This test gave a rundown on where you were from 1-10 in basic areas of gifting.  I did pretty well with Administration, Wisdom and Teaching but was very low in Mercy...  in fact, I got a whopping ‘ZERO’!    For those who knew me, it was funny to them, because we knew it was basically true.  But I always silenced the laughter because of my high score in Wisdom.  I would remind people that with wisdom, I KINDA know when I need to have a little bit of mercy!  

Lamentations 3:22-23 says 

"The Steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; 

They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness!" 

The bible reminds us that God's mercies are renewed every morning.  That is amazing to me.  As a Christian who is trying to be like Jesus, this is difficult to do, but I am trying...let me explain.

NO MERCY!

While operating as a Foster Parent,  on more than one occasion I had opportunity to be like Jesus. I will admit that some days were easier than others.  We recently had an episode where the kids did the 'posse' thing…. Meaning they joined together in bad behavior and work as one unit towards a common goal… frustration!    After a night of NO MERCY, and taking more than an hour to get them in bed, they finally went to sleep.  While preparing for bed and trying to catch up on my own bedtime routine, I really had it in my mind that we would continue this discussion in the morning- but God reminded me of what I told Him I would do.  “I will not have them pay for yesterday, today.”  

After I talked to God about this, every morning, I would wake them up happy, excited for another day and ready to enjoy the day.  See, I wanted to be part of them doing better, and not be a constant reminder of where they missed it.   So, the next morning, after the MERCILESS night, I finished my wake up routine, made my way into their rooms, turned the lights on, and  in this same space, that was a battleground the night before- I  gently said “Good morning guys!  It is Tuesday, Time to get up!  Hope you slept good!”  And our day began as if nothing had happened.

NEW MERCIES 

This makes me think about God.  How many mornings has He awakened me after my less than glorious night, less than purposeful week, or a day when I have missed it, and He wakes me up happy?  I may not be deserving of this opportunity and He could really rake me across literal coals to make me see the error of my ways, but He doesn’t.  God is always ready for a brand new me, a brand-new opportunity and a great day that I will enjoy;  a day to walk in purpose and succeed.  He gives me new mercies every morning. This is something I am beginning to appreciate even more,now that I have committed to doing it for someone else.  So, I get to thinking…  Wouldn’t it be great if we made this a practice in all of our relationships?

Imagine a couple that woke up without making someone pay for the problems of yesterday, but we wake up ready to be healing to each other!  A parent who is ready to work with a child who is having difficulties because the child is more important than the stress, they have caused them.  An employee who comes to work not trying to rehash the issues of the days before, but ready to be a team player that brings their gift to the table without poking fun at what others bring.  See following God for real is not for wimps.  This life can be difficult, and it really requires that we die to our old ways, our old thoughts and give others the benefit of the belief. 

If you dare, join me in this goal, to allow people to feel our support and our care for them regardless to things that may have happened in the past.  I know that some actions are not easily forgotten or forgiven, but if we can at least allow our mercies to flow like God’s do.  Let’s try to give others a chance to make their day better than yesterday; their decisions better, and their life better without an automatic attitude from us.  I will say that I have learned many lessons on this foster parent journey, and one of the greatest ones I am yet learning is how to renew mercies… EVERY morning!