Sheer Mercy and Grace

God is sheer mercy and grace;
not easily angered, he's rich in love.
He doesn't endlessly nag and scold,
nor hold grudges forever.
He doesn't treat us as our sins deserve,
nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.

As high as heaven is over the earth,
so strong is his love to those who fear him.
And as far as sunrise is from sunset,
he has separated us from our sins.
As parents feel for their children,
God feels for those who fear him.

He knows us inside and out,
keeps in mind that we're made of mud.
Men and women don't live very long;
like wildflowers they spring up and blossom,
But a storm snuffs them out just as quickly,
leaving nothing to show they were here.

God's love, though, is ever and always,
eternally present to all who fear him,
Making everything right for them and their children
as they follow his Covenant ways
and remember to do whatever he said.

Psalm 103:8-18, The Message

The bad news is we are still floundering. Nothing has improved with Mom's condition or our circumstances; in fact, some new twists have been added, reminding me to never ever say, "What else could go wrong?"

The good news is we have life preservers: Mercy and Grace. If you go to church and/or love Jesus or know someone who does, you have probably heard these words before. Mercy and Grace. We bandy the words about a lot, but what do they mean really? I can give you definitions.
Mercy=Not getting the bad stuff I've earned.
Grace=Getting good stuff I haven't earned.
But what are they really? What do Mercy and Grace look like? I can show you. I see them every day.

When my kids come home from church and I snarl and snap enough to make them afraid to answer a simple question, and then minutes later my son comes into the kitchen and says, "What can I do to help you?"
That's Mercy and Grace.

When my daughter is in a rush to get somewhere and needs to eat before she goes because it is not safe for her to eat anywhere else, and the burgers won't cook, won't cook, won't cook, until I realize I've set the 16-inch cast iron skillet on the smallest burner, and she just laughs in a nice way and says gently, "Oh my gosh, Mom!"
That's Mercy and Grace.

When my oldest, whose longtime motto reads, "I'm the boss and you're not," and whose recent favorite saying is, "I'm an adult; I do what I want," offers her free time to run errands for me, totes her siblings around, and includes them in her life.
That's Mercy and Grace.

When my youngest helps without being asked, helps when asked, shares books with me, shares tears with me.
That's Mercy and Grace.

When we have our first family dinner in who knows how long, and we spend it grousing at each other, and then we can laugh about it later and my husband texts to say, "Sorry for being so grumpy."
That's Mercy and Grace.

When my sister Ruth breaks her ankle, needing surgery and incapacitated for her upcoming respite turn, and my sister in law quickly makes plans to return today, fitting in a week here before she tends to other people in other places.
That's Mercy and Grace.

So, as my good friend and I decided, we are floundering but not sunk. We are borne up by Mercy and Grace, all around us, every day.
Thank God!