They Are New Every Morning

When our new addition on our house was finished in December, 2011, our oldest son made this statement, "Mom, I don't think I'll ever get used to the new part."  Our daughter - the oldest - agreed, especially since she would be leaving for college in a year and a half.  It made me a little sad.  I was excited about having more room, but didn't like the thought of change, especially if the two oldest weren't thinking it would feel like home.

I enjoyed the new space from the start and it only took a few days to really get used to it because it was so nice having more room, but what surprised me was that within a couple of months that oldest boy made another statement:  "Mom, I don't really even remember what our house looked like before this new part was here!"  Wow!  How did just a few months' time change his opinion? Because it was still home!  It still felt like home!  And, most likely he was enjoying being in his bedroom all by himself and without his two younger brothers in there with him.

One of the first thing I do every morning after waking up the kids is to open the blinds in the new addition part.  I love having east windows that I didn't have before and being able to see the sun coming up or just barely up.  It's a great start to the new day and makes me think of God and all of His wonderful blessings.

Lately as I've opened up the blinds, I've thought of this song:  "The Steadfast Love of the Lord".  Maybe you know it.  It's based on this verse:

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, 

his mercies never come to an end; 

they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. 

"The LORD is my portion," says my soul, 

"therefore I will hope in him."

Lamentations 3:22-24

Just like we got used to our new addition, but enjoy it every day, we may get used to God's mercy and love; however, getting "used" to His love, shouldn't make us think less about it at all.  In fact, each morning we should realize that it's a new day and that yesterday is over.  God's mercy is "new every morning".  It's a clean slate!  He doesn't hold grudges like we sometimes do.  He doesn't love conditionally like we sometimes do.  He is ready, willing, and able to forgive us when we confess our sins if we are walking in the light.  He will make us spotless and clean by the redeeming blood of Jesus.

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

  If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

1 John 1:5-10

They are new every morning!  What a refreshing thought!

"I Will Not Sell Candy at Recess"

I only remember getting in trouble three times at school.  Once was for hiding under the teacher's desk in first grade.  It was during the Christmas party and my mom happened to walk in and find me.  I'm not sure the teacher got on to me, but my mom sure did!  Another time was in 7th grade, for talking (not surprisingly!).  There were three of us and all of us got a spanking with Mr. Trammell's paddle.  Immediately afterwards he went down to my mom's room (she taught 2nd/3rd grade then) and told her to not give me another one at home.  That was my parent's rule, but he didn't want me getting double punishment (how kind of him!).  Thankfully, they let me off the hook.  I think it was because my mom was in trouble for talking a few times as a child, too!

And then there was the third school offense.  This one was a little more serious, I suppose.  My twin cousins had moved to town and all three of us were in the 4th grade.  Their dad was our school superintendent.  My dad was on the school board.  We came up with a brilliant plan - so we thought!  Bubblicious and Hubba Bubba bubble gum had just come out.  As I recall we could buy a pack for 20 cents.  We bought gum and candy and sold it at recess to all of our elementary school.  What a "service project" we had come up with!  I still remember the little coin purse we had to put our money in.  I think we sold each piece of gum and small candy for 10 cents.  We were raking in the dough!  We thought we had come up with something really nifty - until we got in trouble.  We were told not to sell candy at recess anymore.

I'm not sure who got after us that first time, but apparently we didn't take it seriously or just decided to break that rule anyway.  We stocked up on more gum and candy that afternoon and carried on our new business the next day at recess.  Of course, we got caught and got in trouble, yet again.  This time I do remember who got on to us....Mrs. Mefford.  Mrs. Mefford made us write sentences - 100 each - saying, "I will not sell candy at recess."  I guess we pleaded with her to lesson our punishment.  I suppose it was more than our poor, tired hands could endure because she cut down our punishment to only 100 sentences between all three of us!  I don't know for sure who had to do the 34 sentences, but the other two would have done 33.  I kind of think she must have had mercy on us because our "crime" was such a brilliant idea (smile), don't you??

It seems that we ended up making about $3.50 from our candy sales.  Not bad for the late 70's.  We walked down to the grocery store and purchase a few items with our profits.  I remember a can of Pringles, but can't remember the rest.

The mercy granted to us by Mrs. Mefford is still a vivid memory to me today.  God grants us mercy and his mercy should be a vivid memory in our minds and in our hearts each and every day.  But unlike my selling candy crime, the crime of my sinful nature without Jesus is serious business.  It's serious business and is only forgiven through the blood of my Savior, Jesus Christ, and by the mercy of my Heavenly Father.

Mercy is essentially the out-flowing of love that seeks to satisfy anothers true needs with a willingness to forgive their faults.  God most definitely seeks to forgive our faults when we come to him through His Son and his out-flow of love is abundant.

My cousins and I didn't need mercy because our punishment wasn't very severe, yet we were still granted mercy. And, we were thankful for it (and so were our poor, tired hands :)!!  I need God's mercy and I'm very, very thankful for it.

You know, maybe I should feel guilty.  Maybe I should write those remaining 66 or 67 sentences and send them to my former 4th grade teacher.  Awww.....I think it'll be okay.....my hand might get too tired.  Hey!  Maybe now I could just type them out and email them to her!  No!  I've got it!  I'll type in in a text and send it to her 66 or 67 times.  What an idea :).