Last week’s blog started with dear Husband’s recollection about his rascally friend who later came to Jesus and spent his life in service for others.  This is a sweet, happy story of his life more recently.  Today, dear husband was talking to his reformed rascal friend on the phone.  His wife texted me happy photos after the phone conversation.  One photo was of their daughter’s brand new book for children. (Keep in mind she grew up in a household with 19 other children, so she probably has some idea about kids). Several photos were of smiling family members obviously enjoying each other’s company, but the last photo brought tears to my eyes.  It was an old lady with a loving expression of joy and appreciation holding our friend’s hands in hers.  I didn’t recognize her at first.  Then our friend’s wife told me who she was.  It was her husband’s mother.  The reason I didn’t recognize her was that I had never seen those expressions on her face before.  When I knew her she was opinionated, desirous of being in charge, not easily satisfied, and often unhappy with something or someone.  Not someone you’d want to spend a lot of time with.  I had assumed that as she aged, she had become a bitter, crotchety old woman.  After all, when her son, our friend, had become a pastor, and helped his dad believe, she commanded him, “Don’t talk to me about Jesus.”  But here she was, elderly and happy, pleased and appreciative!  She had completely changed. What happened?  God’s long love.  God’s patient, loving kindness.  Years after her husband went to heaven, she had a change of heart and was willing to let her son explain the happy news that she could be forgiven, too.  There in the nursing home she prayed to Jesus for the first time.  The change was real.  Here is how her daughter-in-law expressed it, “…she loved that [her son] wrote her weekly a little sermon.  She said many times, ‘Yes, I believe.’  The miracle was God’s grace which was evident in her joy and peace.”  After a lifetime of rejecting God, he hadn’t rejected her.  He waited patiently and came running to her in her old age as soon as she turned to him.

“Because of God’s tender mercy,
the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
and to guide us to the path of peace.”  Luke 1:78-79 (prophecy about Jesus by the father of John the Baptizer)

You know that quiver in the pit of your stomach when a rogue thought enters your mind that brings fear?  I don’t know what your triggers are, but I’m guessing that there are thoughts that cast a dark shadow of fear over you.  When you stop to think about it, those thoughts have the hiss of the serpent in them.  “You’re never going to be able to ____________.  You’re a loossssssser.”  “That pain you have is probably something serioussssss. You’re just sssssickly and uselessss”  “The world is getting darker.  How will you ever be brave enough to shine?  Just sssslink over to a corner and lay low.”  Or a million other lies crafted especially to hit you in your weakest spot and take you down into the pit with him.  I want to share something that is helping me say, ‘No’, to my fears.

When a fearful thought tempts me to quail and feel hopeless, I’m learning to turn away from it and put my thoughts on who God is.  I’ve been reading about God’s tenderness and compassion, so I review in my mind how God’s first response to me is mercy.  He is eager to gently come alongside.  I needed to be reminded about God’s inclination to tenderness because from childhood I’ve lived with people with short fuses.  Beginning with my father who had a nasty temper,  I learned to tread lightly, a coping skill that hasn’t really served me very well over the years.  I need to realize that altho people might be short tempered, God isn’t.  Humans may default to anger, but God defaults to mercy.  People may be harsh, me included, but he is very tender toward his dearly loved children.  He is gentle.  He is long suffering.  He feels our pain.  He understands us.

“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others.”   2 Corinthians 1:3-4

This isn’t to say that he ignores our faults.  It is to say that he gently works on us and with us to change us into a better version of ourselves.  It’s slow going for him, I’ve found.  Yet he doesn’t loose patience.   This isn’t to say that eventually he won’t have to judge those who hate him so he can set the world to rights.  But for those who love and obey him, howbeit falteringly, he has inexhaustible mercy.  We don’t obey him out of fear for what he’ll do to us if we don’t.  It’s because he’s kind that we obey him, trusting that he knows what’s best for us.  We avoid harmful things that he has warned us about just as a child knows not to get in a stranger’s car because her loving father told her it’s dangerous.

“The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.”  Psalm 103:13

It’s unspeakably comforting to know that my Boss is kind.  He isn’t accusing and out of sorts, needing to be placated or avoided.  He’s gentle and ready to comfort.  He’s tender and kind.  He has much compassion and endless mercy.  He understands our limitations.  Yet, he has big plans for us.  We have a future no matter how badly we blow it.  Our weaknesses actually alert him to come to our aid.  He doesn’t get mad and berate us when we’re weak, he gets close and helps us pick up the pieces.  

“You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.”  James 5:11

Remember God is:
Merciful Father
Full of tenderness and mercy
Tender and compassionate

He has long love and more mercy.

Here is lovely song to lift your spirits: