"Have mercy on me, for I am a sinner."
God's Mercy
I have had the mistaken notion that by the time I entered my golden years, I would be full of wisdom, and would no longer sin. I realize how silly this may sound. I have fallen short of the glory of God for seven decades; why in the world would I think that my last years be any different?
This past weekend I lied to my grandson, to my son, and to my daughter in law. It was a small, inconsequential lie (my way of minimizing the lie). Even in my seventies I am good at rationalizing sin. My good friend Henri Nouwen writes, "the older we become the more we realize how limited we are in our ability to love how impure our hearts are, and how complex our motivations are. And there is a real temptation to want to look inside of ourselves and clean it all out, and become people with a pure heart, unstained intentions and unconditional love. Such an attempt is doomed to failure and leads us to ever greater despair. The more we look into ourselves and try to figure ourselves out, the more we become entangled in our imperfections. Indeed, we cannot save ourselves. Only Jesus can save us. That is why it is so important to remove your inner eye away from the complexities of your own broken heart toward the pure but broken heart of Jesus. Looking at him and his immense mercy will give you the ability to accept your own imperfections and to really let yourself be cared for by the mercy and love of Jesus." Amen, and Amen.
As I live out the last chapter of my life, I often think of my own immortality and whether I will ever get a handle on sin. The good news is that "God is mercy in mercy in mercy." The more we get to know ourselves, the more we come to know God's mercy, which is mercy beyond the mercy we know.
I have had the mistaken notion that by the time I entered my golden years, I would be full of wisdom, and would no longer sin. I realize how silly this may sound. I have fallen short of the glory of God for seven decades; why in the world would I think that my last years be any different?
This past weekend I lied to my grandson, to my son, and to my daughter in law. It was a small, inconsequential lie (my way of minimizing the lie). Even in my seventies I am good at rationalizing sin. My good friend Henri Nouwen writes, "the older we become the more we realize how limited we are in our ability to love how impure our hearts are, and how complex our motivations are. And there is a real temptation to want to look inside of ourselves and clean it all out, and become people with a pure heart, unstained intentions and unconditional love. Such an attempt is doomed to failure and leads us to ever greater despair. The more we look into ourselves and try to figure ourselves out, the more we become entangled in our imperfections. Indeed, we cannot save ourselves. Only Jesus can save us. That is why it is so important to remove your inner eye away from the complexities of your own broken heart toward the pure but broken heart of Jesus. Looking at him and his immense mercy will give you the ability to accept your own imperfections and to really let yourself be cared for by the mercy and love of Jesus." Amen, and Amen.
As I live out the last chapter of my life, I often think of my own immortality and whether I will ever get a handle on sin. The good news is that "God is mercy in mercy in mercy." The more we get to know ourselves, the more we come to know God's mercy, which is mercy beyond the mercy we know.
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