There are few things that invoke a sense calm more so than the sunrise. Watching the day wake up as I am getting the day started brings with it a sense of serenity. The beach is definitely my favorite place to watch the sun rise up over the waves but we have some pretty epic sunrises at our house as well. We live in a wooded area and the sun peeking through the trees is quite a wonderful way to start the day. I’m not up for the sunrise every day but the days I happen to catch it just beginning to peek over the horizon are some of my favorite starts to the day.
Each sunrise has a different character. Some are very colorful and bright. Other sunrises are slightly muted by the clouds. Sometimes the sun just rises without any big fanfare or flare. It’s just sun and horizon. Other times the sun is completely obscured by thick cloud cover, a bashful daybreak for the sun.
No matter the forecast for the day, how many clouds fill the sky, if it’s rainy and cold or hot and dry, the sun always rises. With every morning, the sun is ready to lift over the horizon in all it’s glory. Nothing can stop it from rising. Each morning I can peek out the window and know the sun is there, whether I can see it or not, bringing light to the morning, dependable and consistent. There are few things in life as reliable as the sunrise. I can think of One.
I am thankful for the sunrise, a reminder that the One true Giver of light is always there. Ever dependable and consistent, a beacon of hope. It reminds me of God’s promise to never leave us or forsake us. What can you find in your day today that reminds you of the promises of the God?
On Monday, I wrote about a recurring theme that had been weaving in and out of my daily life for quite a while, yet I chose to ignore it. I have learned my lesson and know if I see something popping up over and over again, I need to take notice. Since the start of this new year I’ve seen the words “mercy” and “grace” repeated over and over again. When I was a kid, I always heard the two words lumped together “grace and mercy”or “mercy and grace”. I honestly always thought they meant basically the same thing.
When I started hearing those two words on repeat I thought I better take heed. Grace and mercy showed up in the message at church on Sunday, my morning study, several videos, as well as a few readings. I wasn’t even searching for those specific words, they were just there. Someone was trying to get my attention. The alarms were going off, “DO NOT IGNORE!”
From my morning study, The Bible Recap withTara Leigh Cobble, TLC gives a great definition of these two words. “Mercy is when you don’t get what you deserve… Grace is when you get what you don’t deserve.” At first it was a little hard to wrap my head around these two definition. The words for both definitions are so similar, however, when the words are slightly reordered, grace and mercy convey opposite meanings. While Tara Leigh Cobble is referring to the words as they relate to our relationship with God, it is important to note that we can extend grace and mercy to each other. Heaven knows I need all the grace and mercy I can get.
As an imperfect human, I mess up…a lot. I don’t start my day thinking about all the mistakes I will make in the day. I do my best to be the kindest, most honest person I can be but sometimes my humanness gets the better of me. If I get frustrated, sometimes I may say something I really didn’t want to say. When I was a kid, my Mom always said (mostly in reference to the interactions between us siblings), “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” I still try to live by that standard but sometimes the little soldier standing guard over my words takes a little power nap and out flies something that should have never been given breath.
If a friend, hearing those words, chooses to reprimand me, they have every right to do so. However, if they choose not to reprimand me, they have shown mercy. They didn’t give me the “what for”, which was probably well deserved. In contrast, if they choose to buy me some tea (I don’t drink coffee) and help me work through my frustrations, they have extended grace. I don’t deserve the tea or their company but they are being very gracious. My friend exercised mercy because instead of giving me what I deserved, a stern talking to, my friend chose grace, and gave me time with them and some thirst quenching sweet tea. As a southern girl, there isn’t much a cold glass of sweet tea and good conversation cannot fix.
Like a southern girl and sweet tea, it’s almost hard to have mercy without grace. While the words have opposite meanings, they go hand in hand, a positive partnership. I am so thankful for the mercy and grace partnership extended to me on a daily basis. I know I do nothing to deserve the grace and am on the receiving end of endless mercy. I want to make sure I extend that same mercy and grace to others because we have a legacy of mercy and grace. Christ showered us with the ultimate mercy and grace at the cross.
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