On the Corner of Mercy & Grace

Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly.   O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help. Psalms 86:3 & 5

A young woman sat alone on the roof of a school building.  As she sat there she wondered how her life had ended up the way it had.  See only a year before she had been thrust into foster care due to abuse in her home, and now because of her age, 18, she had been turned out to the streets with nowhere to go.  Anger and betrayal had become all she knew.  She used alcohol and drugs to numb the pain that she felt and she lashed out and hurt anyone who tried to help her. 

After a few months of sleeping on friends couches and taking advantage of people’s help, she had nowhere else to go or anyone else to turn to, and so she slept on the roof of a school.  Alone and desperate, the young woman walked to the corner where a payphone stood, and made a call.

Her hands trembled as she dialed the number to her former step-father.  Though he had raised her most of her life, since the divorce he no longer had to do anything for her and she hadn’t seen or talked to him in a few years.  As soon as she heard his voice, she broke into tears and begged him for help.  Three hours later he arrived, and took her home.  He welcomed her with open arms and began to help her rebuild her broken life.

The young woman in this story is me.  I was this broken young girl, homeless, living on the streets with a complete mess of a life until I stood on the corner of mercy and grace.  My former step-father, who I call my Dad, did not have to rescue me.  I wish I could say that I appreciated everything he did for me at that time, but I was honestly pretty awful and there are many moments that he should have just walked away, but he didn’t, he just continued to show unconditional love.

The grace that God showers upon us is so undeserved.  We are often so awful to Him, turning our backs on him, not trusting in His unfailing love, and blaming Him when something in our lives goes bad.  As I was preparing to write this, I came across an awesome quote by Max Lucado “To put it very simply, grace is God’s best idea – it’s His decision to ravage a people by love, to rescue passionately, and to restore justly.”

I know for many years as a believer the concept of God’s grace and mercy have been a difficult concept for me to accept.  I, in my sinful state, struggle to give mercy to those who have wronged me and grace to those who don’t deserve it.  So how can God show it to me?  Then I realized how grace and mercy work together and how God shows us examples throughout the Bible.  Grace goes beyond mercy.  Mercy is what gave the prodigal son a second chance, Grace threw him a party when he arrived. 

God’s sustain grace meets us at our point of need and then equips us with the courage, wisdom and strength we need to endure.  His mercy keeps no records of our doubts or stumbles along the way.  In Romans 6:14 is says, “For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.”  Because of the grace and mercy of God we are no longer in bondage to our sin but rescued and restored in His grace.

Do you have a hard time understand grace?  Just know that we don’t deserve it, we fall short of God’s grace every single day, but His overwhelming, never ending love for us doesn’t see it, keeps no record of it and when Jesus died on the cross for our sins we are now seen in God’s eyes as white as snow, if we believe in Him and confess our sins.  As huge as that is, it’s simple to understand, don’t hold yourself back from accepting and living in His grace and mercy.

If you are struggling to show mercy or grace to someone in your life or in a situation that you are facing, I challenge you this week to truly seek God in the matter.  Marvel in the grace that God has showered upon you and offer it to others even if they don’t deserve it.