Every Morning

…his mercies are not spent; they are new each morning. Lamentations 3:22-23

I am grateful for lots and lots of things and one of them is my ability to fall asleep as fast and hard as a brick being dropped from a high building!  On the nights I’m not asleep in the first 3 seconds after crawling between the sheets I try to do a replay of my day and offer thanksgiving for the blessings and pray for forgiveness for my sinfulness.  When I get to that part, sometimes I get pretty sad, even embarrassed about things I have done or said during the day.  It’s funny that on the nights I don’t fall right to sleep it’s usually because something has happened during that day that I need to pray on, ask forgiveness for or ask God to help me fix the next day.  I’m not gonna lie, some nights when I start thinking about silly things that slipped out of my mouth that shouldn’t have, or situations where I didn’t slow down enough to really listen or be compassionately present for someone I’d rather just roll over and go to sleep.  Sometimes it’s like someone holding up a mirror and I don’t like what I see.

I was having one of those nights not long ago and I couldn’t go to sleep.  I ended up moving to the couch so I wouldn’t disturb Dave because no matter how hard I tried to drift off, something just kept nagging at me so I gave up, opened scripture and asked God to show me what he was putting on my heart.  It was a beautiful experience of his mercy that eventually led me to this verse in Lamentations.  How great is our God!  Even as he was pointing out something I didn’t want to see, he did it with such love.  I realized that he was showing me how I could follow him more closely and after a while longer, I fell sound asleep and didn’t even roll over the rest of the night.  When I woke up the next morning I felt so peaceful and content because I realized that no matter how much we mess things up, he is there for us and his mercies are new each morning.

Don’t we serve an amazing God!  It’s like a “do-over” every day.  The morning brings new light, new opportunity and God’s new mercies.  If you’re reading this today and your heart is heavy about something you’re lugging around, put it to rest in the forgiving arms of the Father and sleep tonight knowing his mercies will be new in the morning.  Admit your faults and failings, ask his forgiveness, offer apology and make peace where you need to and know things will be as fresh and hopeful as a bright new morning.

A Seed To Plant: Ask God to show you where you need to seek forgiveness, offer forgiveness and then rest in the promise of his mercy.

Blessings on your day!