Hello Friend! Happy New Year:)
This year I have chosen to focus on the word “mercy.”
I had a whole list of words, yet this one seemed to weigh the heaviest on my soul, and here’s why:
1) I want to learn to be merciful, just as my Father is merciful (Luke 6:35-36).
2) I want to pray for mercy on the behalf of others and specifically pray for the Lord’s mercy on His people as we equip and prepare ourselves in these rapidly changing times.
3) I want to remember that mercy is one of God’s central characteristics.
Let me elaborate on #3. Sometimes it’s easy to view the Lord with intimidation as if He’s waiting to throw a lightning bolt down from heaven the minute I fail, or give me struggles as my due punishment.
But then, I remember that my God is merciful; it is a part of His very being. I see that every reason He has in calling me, every struggle He allows me to walk through, and the foundation of every word He speaks to me is all coming from a place of mercy.
Every breath that I breathe is an act of mercy to me. Even my struggles may be an act of mercy from my Lord because He knows exactly what I need and uses every circumstance to teach and mold me. It is because of His mercy that I learn what I do when I do, no matter how difficult it may be in the moment, because the lessons that I understand now are equipping me for the future.
So this year, I will grow in character as I seek to take on the quality of mercy that Jesus so graciously exemplifies for me. And I will be assured knowing that His mercy never runs out.
Consider the words He may be using to get your attention in 2021; I can’t wait to see what kind of things we will be contemplating!