Mercy and Kindness
From sun up until sun down, there are opportunities for me to praise God, to see his presence in my life and breathe in all of the goodness his mercy and kindness provides. When I do, I feel warm and filled and loved and content.
However, how many times in a week or month do I really experience days like the one described?
Not often enough! I think as humans we allow too much of the world in and allow it to dictate how we think and feel. Sometimes it tells us how we should see things and tells us what should and shouldn’t enjoy.
I also think we are a bit masochistic and find it easier to relate to the negative, like in the scripture this week. We hear words like terror, misstep, trapped, failure, shame and vengeance. These are the type of words, images and experiences we see when we look at the news or listen to friends and colleagues complain. Why is it we love to live in the muck instead of accepting the gifts before us?
Like in this image, God is throwing confetti full of mercy, kindness, grace and love at us. I think sometimes we see it and we try to dodge it at all costs because we like the power trip we can get on when we rant. Other times, I think we do the opposite and try to gather up as much as we can and try to hoard it so no one else can have any because we don’t want it to run out. We become selfish and hold onto it instead of sharing it as God calls us to do.
I believe God intends for his mercy and kindness to be shared like in the game of tag. You are “IT” and you need to go out and tag someone, sharing the mercy and kindness with them. You don’t lose any of it when you share it because God is there, day after day, hour after hour replenishing you with what you give. And like in the game of tag, you will be “IT” again and again, and the game will never end, everyone will simply continue to share and share and share until the end of time!
So, why can’t I enjoy more days like the one described? I think it’s up to me whether I want to live out my days through the positive scope of God’s gifts and blessings or if I want to live under the microscopic view of the world. I choose to step into each day allowing my faith to lead me. Yes, I will stumble, get lost and need support to make it through the times when I feel the walls are caving in or I’m on an uphill trek. I entrust my soul to God, “for he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!” (Jeremiah 20:13)
The scripture reminds me of the many before me who have tried to go out on their own and live according to what the world prescribes. It never fairs well for them. I also see the opposite, those who chose to follow God, even in their struggle, they cling to him and still have joy in their suffering. This sounds like such and oxymoron but I believe it is one of they mysteries of faith; we are able to find contentment even when we face adversity.
So, right now, I’m not even going to wait until tomorrow when I wake up, right now I choose be tagged by God. I am ‘IT’ and will let the confetti stick to me so I can pass it onto others. There is no such thing as “freeze” or “pause” or “time-out” in life; we don’t get any “do overs”. We only have today…”TAG, YOU’RE IT!”
