Mornings & Mercy...

"He has showed you, O man, what is good.

And what does the LORD require of you?

To act justly

and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God."

Micah 6:8

I love early mornings.

But, I also love late nights.

As you can imagine, this creates quite a bit of conflict in my life.

Nevertheless, once that steaming cup of rich coffee reaches my lips,

the reconciliation begins...

This morning I've been meditating on mercy.

As I read and re-read Micah 6:8...I mean really chew on it,

and strive to understand it's implications, I am quieted.

I can feel my heart being tenderized.

Act Justly. LOVE MERCY. Walk humbly with your God.

Hmmm. Yep. There it is.

We have been told what the Lord requires of us.

And when I think about loving mercy,

that isn't as easy as it appears at first glance.

I mean, sure, I love mercy...FOR ME.

But how often do I long for God to have mercy on others?

Oh sure, I want God to have mercy on some.

But everyone? The undeserving?

Then again, how deserving am I really???

You might say being "deserving" is relative, but I disagree.

I have often busted myself thinking,

"oh that's ok, what goes around comes around"

or

"they'll get theirs..."

or

"Lord, strike them down!"

*blushing* 

truth.

But today, I pray for myself,

and all of you,

that you seek to love mercy...

not just for yourself,

but for others.

James 5:11 says "...the Lord is FULL of compassion and mercy."

Lamentations 3:23 says that His mercies are new every morning.

I love the way Sandy MacIntosh put it,

she calls them "mercy muffins...

He bakes them while we're sleeping,

and by the next morning, we're hungry for more."

I just love that...really.

If un-forgiveness is holding you back from wanting mercy for others...let it go.

The greek word for forgiveness is "aphieme" which means "to cut loose"

while the opposite is "to strap on."

Cut loose...let it go...free yourself.

"To forgive is to set the prisoner free, 

and then discover the prisoner was you." 
~ Corrie Ten Boom, Holocaust Survivor

(I am also told Lewes B. Smedes was quoted saying this, 

Corrie may have quoted him)

Either way, I love this quote. 

I have contemplated it many times over the years.

or this one:

"Un-forgiveness is like drinking poison, 

and expecting the other person to die." ~ author unknown

profound.

And so here I sit, with my coffee, and mercy, and you.

Mercy...she's like the warmest blanket 

on the coldest of winter days, such a lovely companion.

I can feel my soul exhale as her coziness wraps around me.

Praying, that as you journey through the rest of this year,

you will consider digging into your heart of hearts to love mercy.

Act justly. LOVE MERCY. And walk humbly with your God.

LOVE MERCY...not just for yourself, but for others.

Veggie Scramble

This is beyond easy. 

I took 2 eggs and scrambled them in a bowl with a splash of 1/2 and 1/2,

salt & pepper to taste.

I melted 1 Tbsp of butter into a frying pan over medium heat,

poured the egg mixture into the pan,

and added 1 Tbsp each of diced bell peppers, cremini mushroom,

purple onion, jalapeno, zucchini, squash, tomato,

one clove of minced garlic, and a pinch of shredded fontina cheese.

Once cooked through, I spooned into mini pitas, and served with

sliced kiwi & strawberries, and red chile cheese potatoes.

serve hot.

Mangia!