There’s a wideness in God’s mercy... There’s a kindness in his justice... There is welcome for the sinner... There is mercy with the Savior...
This beautiful almost-summer day seems like the perfect day to post this hymn. I don’t often take time to simply bask in God’s mercy and love. I can feel more worthy of God’s love (or anyone else’s) on the days when my email inbox is empty, when my to-do list is finished, when I didn’t let my daughter watch 2 hours of Dora the Explorer and played with her instead, when my kitchen floor is shiny, when I have exercised, when there is not a mountain of laundry bursting out of the laundry room... And since there is never a day when all of these things happen together, I can end up feeling guilty and lazy and terrible. Anyone else with me on this? But this is a welcome reminder that God’s heart is “most wonderfully kind.” The beautiful truth of the gospel is that His love for me does not rise and fall with the size of my laundry mountain. The “plentiful redemption” is found only in the shed blood of Jesus. And while that's not an excuse to quit trying, it does give me the freedom to swim around in the sea of God's mercy instead of wallowing in my own muddy puddle of self-imposed expectations.
So today, I set aside the things I was going to do this morning and instead took some time to sit on the front porch and play this song. I didn't include my banjo rendition for public listening... believe me, you're glad that I didn't! But meditating on the words of this hymn has revived me a little. You should try it, too!
If you have a front porch or a front yard, take a minute today to step outside and enjoy the day. May you see examples of the wideness of God’s mercy and the kindness in his justice all around you this week!
