- Mercy - the gift of NOT getting what you deserve
- Grace - the gift of getting what you DON'T deserve
We are a military family. We are very familiar with law. And, law is necessary. Who was the famous person that said, "Without law, there will be anarchy."? As a mother of 4 incredible kids, I can assure you that without laws or boundaries, there would be chaos! There is comfort that comes in having law. Any healthy child will push until she can determine where there are rules and boundaries. This knowledge is comforting and creates a feeling of security. There is freedom in hearing "NO."
However, there is increasing comfort for me in the gift of grace. Grace comes in the form of an unsolicited request for a hug from a pre-teen son who has sworn off hugs. Grace comes in the form of a sister making cookies for her brother to take to Boyscouts because he forgot to tell anyone that he needed them until 2 hours before he needed to leave. Grace comes in the form of a generous check to bridge the gap between what needs to be fundraised for a mission trip and what was actually raised. Grace comes in the form of a fragile infant in a manger hundreds of years ago. The infant that would grow to carry my burdens to the cross.
Grace is the gift of receiving what I do NOT deserve. When I stop to recognize these gifts, I am humbled by the bountiful blessings. They are simply gifts that dot my day as pointers to God and His loving presence in my life.
On the opposite side of the coin from grace there is mercy. Mercy comes in the form of cleaning up your 6th pile of dog poop from the carpet and NOT raising a hand to any one of the three dogs who helped to create the poop piles. Mercy comes in the form of forgetting to study for a test and the teacher giving you the opportunity to "revisit the test" for additional credit. Mercy comes in the form of not getting into a car accident after texting while driving for the 100th time. Mercy comes in the form of the promise of eternal life in spite of my sin-filled life.
Mercy is the gift of NOT receiving what I DO deserve. When I stop to recognize the number of times I encounter mercy on a daily basis, I am again humbled by the bountiful blessings. They remain gifts that dot my day as pointers to God and His loving presence in my life.
In this season of gift-giving, I am all to often caught up in the gifts that can be wrapped and placed under my Christmas tree. Maybe it is the preacher's daughter in me or simply a message that needs to be shared, but I felt called to stop in the hectic pace of this season and share my thoughts.
May your Christmas season be filled with the awareness that you are blessed with gifts of both grace and mercy.
