It’s the beginning of the school year and everywhere around us we see evidence of “new”.
- New school clothes without any stains or tears.
- New notebooks free of smudges or eraser marks or writing.
- New shoes with bright white shoelaces.
- New pencils with extra pointy tips.
- Everything’s brand new.
Recently I was struck by a new “new” that’s not quite as familiar—new mercy. “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,” says Lamentations, “His compassion never fail. They are new every morning.”
What is new mercy?
New mercy means God isn’t remembering what we should have done yesterday, and didn’t, and still holding on to it today. His new mercy isn’t worn thin by the things we did wrong in the past—snapping at your kid for tracking mud on the carpet or getting irritated with your spouse for forgetting to pay the bills on time.
Every morning God hands us a fresh notebook of mercy with blank lines that have no record of our mistakes. Great is his faithfulness! That undeserved favor fuels the start of each day with hope and possibility.
What if we showed mercy like that? What if the sting of…
the sarcastic remark flung our way yesterday
or the overlooking of our birthday by our best friend
or the misunderstanding and resulting tension with our husband or wife
wasn’t carried over to today—because we’re doing what God does and handing those people new mercy every morning. What would life be like then?
I’m hoping to find out more every day. What’s been your experience with God’s new mercy, to you or through you to others?
To a day filled with new mercy.
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