mercy
The tin roof on the old farm house echoes the sound of the falling rain. The fire crackles in the old stove as excitement rises with the anticipation of the day ahead. Last minute errands and a trip to the airport to greet our loving daughter top the agenda. Gratitude fills this racing heart as we recall the wonders and blessings that have been witnessed this season. A new and healthy grandchild, promising employment for two of the children in need, exciting travels to places only dreamed about before, and relief from labored walking are among the joys for which we give thanks. As a time of remembrance approaches we are reminded that the greatest gift to human kind is the birth of the Savior whose often painful but nevertheless perfect life was given as a love offering for us. Neither earned nor deserved, grace embraces us with perfect love and bestows mercy that saves is from what we truly do deserve. The wonder of the Gift was wrapped in “swaddling” clothes and witnessed lying in a feed trough in that tiny town called Bethlehem. The greatness was neither the wrapping nor the surroundings, but rather the gift of new life found within. May the wonder of the Creator’s grace and mercy feed the flame of love in you this Christmas!
A slight chill greets the morning sun as the first day of cooler weather ascends from the north. All seems calm as the dew covered yard and meadow glisten in the glow of the new day. Movement today is not labored or painful. It would be easy to give the weather the glory for having brought on a more comfortable clime in which this body reacts with less neuromuscular strain and stress. However, there were days in the height of the summer heat where movement and the pain therewith had their respective ease. In the spirit of a good expansive memory, there were days also in the height of winter when symptoms of this seemingly omnipresent PD were nearly absent. Having no knowledge that there is weather or other temporal cause and effect, this life traveler embraces a bounty of thankfulness for this time of relief and wraps a gift of gratitude in prayers today. These moments of freedom are reminders of the grace we experience from a loving God who bestows upon us what we have not earned and mercifully defends us in the presence of what we truly do deserve.
Gracie, the Golden, is curled in front of the sofa with her nose touching nearly each of her four feet. In the quiet of this morning a daily devotional reading inspires the thoughts of putting Christ like desires into action. With granddaughter sleeping later this morning there is ample time to ponder the gracious presence of God’s love in our lives. Life is far from the perfect scenario I would create, but thank God I am not the creator. In the wonder of this hour I recognize the grace and mercy that provide the way and means of navigating this life in the light of the perfect creator. Good news never gets old! No matter how great our challenge may be the power of grace is always more than sufficient to see us through. A heap of thankfulness packed in a barrel of gratitude mellows even the hardest of hearts. May your barrel overflow today!
The steady tapping of rain on the tin roof of the old farm house maintains a mesmerizing blanket of soft sound on this wet North Carolina morning. Light glistens softly over the eastern hill as day breaks the darkness of the evening. Just a few weeks ago, the liquid onslaught would have transformed in the much colder weather to bring us snow and ice. Now, the reverberating rhythm of rain brings liquid nourishment to lawn and budding leaves, thirsting for its arrival. Although this cheering son of spring would prefer bright sunlight, the rain brings thirst quenching relief to fields and forests ensuring an even greener season soon to burst bountifully on the terrain. A pause of thankfulness for God’s provision restores the heart filled with gratitude. A sunny preference does not always fill the need for sustaining life’s journey. Sometimes the cleansing flow of grace and mercy is needed to wash away the dust on a life taken for granted.
A hazy moon glow brightened the pre-dawn sky. Two deer in the distance watched patiently as the house spoiled Golden got her early morning relief. The crisp but not freezing air was pleasant to the lungs as prayers of gratitude arose to the witness of another day and its pending opportunities. As the dawn breaks, a mist rises from the cold ground as it is covered by the much warmer air. Likewise, this temple makes plans to bask in the light of its Builder’s grace as it warms to the present reality of mercy. A list of desired accomplishments is now given its subordination to a moment by moment praise for today’s freedom. Thankfulness fills the cauldron from which today’s passions flow.
The sun shines brightly upon the frozen ground as another day unfolds. Birds flutter from place to place finding sustainable morsels, oblivious to the deep chill. Inside, pets and people alike savor the fragrance of the roasting turkey as they gather together around the warmth of the old cast iron stove. Today is a day of thanksgiving as we pause to remember the gifts of life and love that has been afforded us. The greatest of these gifts is God’s love presented to us in the forms of grace and mercy. The Maker’s mercy saves us from the consequences of our self-centeredness that are truly deserved while His grace covers us with gifts that could never be earned. Living in the place of grace and mercy means making our home in thanksgiving!