Moments

I had a moment this morning. One of those moments where suddenly things become clear. It's like when you look at a river and occasionally the surface becomes smooth and briefly you are able to see the bottom without distortion. I was sitting at a stoplight and there was a police officer in front of me in line. After our light turned green a full-size pickup ran the red through the intersection right in front of the cop. I was thinking "Wow, bad timing. Enjoy your ticket." The truck was stopped at another light about 100 yards ahead waiting in the left turn lane but to my surprise the cop slowly drove up to the light and made a right turn.

My first thought was "Are you kidding!!!? That guy deserves a massive ticket!" I was actually mad a little. Then I had a moment.

I felt like God wanted me to see something. He seemed to say "Why do you ask for mercy for yourself and expect justice for everyone else?" Suddenly I could see a little of the ugliness inside me. I pray for mercy, I have been praying for mercy for a while now, and yet somehow I become indignant when mercy is shown to someone else. Ugly. Maybe the cop was off duty or wasn't looking; Whatever the reason, no ticket was given and I was not OK with that.

My prayer is that I would not be quick to stand in judgment, but be merciful. To not demand justice for others while begging for mercy for myself. These moments are the growth points of our lives. I think I grew a little today.


What can we do today to show the mercy of God?