A lesson on grace and mercy

Matthew 7:7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

I wonder when you ask the Lord for something, like say patience, does it suddenly just zap into your heart and instantly you are a patient person?

Well for me it hasn't been that way. For me when I ask for something it seems the Lord teaches me things through a lesson. I don't just easily and instantly receive something like that. It takes a little pain for me to grow and change.

So this past Thursday I was thinking on grace and mercy.

Merriam Webster Online defines grace as: disposition to or an act or instance of kindness, courtesy, or clemency

and mercy as: compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power; also : lenient or compassionate treatment

So this past Thursday we were flying with my brother and sister in law and all four of our kids to Miami. My husband and I arrived at the airport on time and found our brother in law was running late. Not unusual at all so we decide to go ahead and check in. We make the line, show our ID's and hear the man at the counter say, "Are you flying today? You aren't in the system." The words I dreaded to hear. I knew when traveling with them that I would need a lot of patience since they are always running late but I didn't expect rushing to the airport to find out we don't have tickets. Ugh.......

It seems that brother in law made a mistake and purchased the tickets for Friday NOT Thursday so I watched the kids while the adults tried to change all the tickets and find an available flight out that night.

So there I am with four screaming kids in the airport and a decision to make. Do I get angry at brother in law? I mean, how could someone make a mistake like that? I think back to the entire stressful day of rushing and packing and getting to the airport with two little ones and now I'm told there are no tickets????? I felt like I could scream!

All the sudden the words grace and mercy came to me. I'm standing in line with four kids, stressed to my breaking point and two little words change everything. Grace and mercy.

How much grace and mercy do I want and need in my life? How much grace and mercy do I need from my Lord? How much grace and mercy does He lovingly and freely give me?

I knew then what I had to do. I needed to show some grace and mercy. So instead of getting SO upset I let it go.

And you know what? Grace and mercy feels SO much better than anger and impatience.

In the end we got on a flight and made it to Miami and I thank the Lord for reminding me of those two LITTLE words that have such BIG meaning.