Whew, Now that is Mercy

It is the worst feeling ever.  You are driving along, minding your own business, solving all the problems of the world, when all of a sudden you pass the deviously hidden black & white car.  It is too late to slam on the brakes, you have already flown passed it.  I always just try to play it cool as I watch in the mirror to see if the officer is going to pull out and follow me or let me continue on my journey.  On this particular day, I was taking a different route home from work because I had been to a meeting in a nearby school district.  I was fresh off the highway and didn’t realize how quickly the speed limit had decreased until I saw the lights flipping on as I passed by.  There wasn’t even time to wonder if I was going to get to keep on driving.  Now the question was what the damage was going to be.  It is a whole new level of dread.  I usually just take the approach of saying as little as possible and admitting my guilt with full apologizes as I await the news of ticket or warning.  Today  for some reason, I just started in with the excuses mixed in with apologizes:  I don’t usually drive this road, I didn’t realize the speed limit had changed, I’m  so sorry for not paying attention.  After about a five minute chat that digressed from the number of children that lived close by to the fact I needed to go to Wal-Mart to get groceries for supper, I finally received the much anticipated news that I would only receive a warning.

I so deserved a ticket.  I was going 63 in a 45.  I have no idea why he decided to only give me a warning, but it was the most amazing feeling ever.  As he went back to his car to write my warning, I was celebrating by sending pictures to Scott and the kids.  The thing is, God shows us mercy on a daily basis and I’m sure I don’t celebrate in the same manner.  I’m not talking about the ultimate grace and mercy God showed by sending His son and providing the perfect sacrifice for our sins thus  creating forgiveness when we in no way deserved it.  I’m talking about the mercy and grace God provides in our lives on a daily basis. How often do I stop and give God the credit for the gifts he gives.

First, just to be clear, there is a difference between mercy and grace.  I catch myself using them synonymously.  The officer extended mercy to me by not giving me the ticket I deserved.  Grace on the other hand is when we receive kindness or a blessing that isn’t earned or deserved.  Thinking about the grace and mercy experienced every day, I don’t necessarily know what an appropriate consequence would be for every action I make that isn’t the most pleasing to God, but even if there was an immediate response such as a small electronic buzz every time I had an ugly thought, said something ungodly, the little buzzer would be quite busy.  Fortunately God doesn’t punish us in that manner.  He loves us.  Ephesians 2:4 & 5 “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with  which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive and together with Christ.” The same is true with grace.  The Lord has blessed me with so much more than I deserve, but do I take time to celebrate or even just whisper a prayer of thanks.

I was trying to think of some recent times I could clearly see God’s grace or mercy in my life.  I thought of the time I was displaying a little road rage and by all means should have been ran into the barricade.  I still don’t know how my car fit between the truck and the cement edge.  Oh wait, maybe it was God’s mercy.  I deserved to get ran off the road for thinking I could take on a battle with a semi and win.  I thought of the time when I was having a bad day last week.  I felt like I was being attacked for only trying to help then out of the clear blue, I received a card from a friend thanking me for something I had done that really seemed small to me, but had meant something to them.  Tell me that isn’t the grace of God.  It made the other matter seem insignificant.

It was probably three weeks ago there was a wreck on the interstate so I was taking the back roads to bypass the traffic.  This detour took me past some apartments with boarded up windows, cars without all four tires, and many other signs of undesirable conditions.  As I passed through this area of town, there was just a small moment of judgement on my part before I was overwhelmed with conviction.  My first thoughts centered around why would anyone live there?  They should just close those apartments down and other very disparaging thoughts.  Then quickly God brought to my attention  how easily I could be living a life completely different, if not for His grace and mercy. I thought of the alcoholism both of my grandfathers suffered from during their lives and how I could just as easily suffer from the same addictive behaviors.   There is an extreme difference in the four miles between where these apartments are located and where my house is located, however the only difference that keeps me from living in one place over the other is God’s grace and mercy.

So, today, as I celebrate not paying an enormous traffic ticket, I also want to take time to thank the Lord for loving me so much that He doesn’t make me pay for all of the stupid mistakes I make on a daily basis and loving me so much that he blesses me far beyond anything I deserve.

Author: Angela Grunewald

Just a mom/wife/educator who loves the Lord and wants to share my thoughts. View all posts by Angela Grunewald