Mercy Delivered . . . UPS

Posted on September 25, 2007
Filed Under Provision, Parenting, Grace, Family |

While in California recently, my youngest son ruined his new sidekick by getting it wet on the log ride at Disneyland. The new phone was completely broken having been waterlogged. In disgust, Cole said wryly over dinner tonight as we talked about it . . . “Disneyland is NOT the happiest place on earth. Disneyland pissed me off.” That was funny to me.

Since then, he (with his own money) purchased a lesser phone and it, because it was muuuuch lesser, broke while resting idly in his pocket. After much rigmarole with t-mobile they agreed that the messed up LCD screen wasn’t Cole’s fault and said they’d replace it. An hour and a half later, I was pretty much disgusted by the whole exchange procedures (mail the phone back, wait to get credited, order a new one) so my husband took over the re-ordering process from me and Cole (he’s much more patient) and when Cole’s new phone arrived today he was surprised to find that his father had ordered a new sidekick. Hopefully this one won’t get jacked up at Disneyland any time soon.

I saw a picture of God in the great phone debacle, or at least in my husband’s role in it. Cole messed up. He was irresponsible with his phone, allowed it to get wet, and then couldn’t afford to pay the price for a new one and had to settle for a cheaper phone; one which broke with no provocation. We do that too. Instead of prizing the blessings we have (our families, our friends, our jobs . . . ) we can often take them for granted and leave them open to the damage of neglect and vulnerability, and then have the nerve to express our surprise when we find them lying on the bottom of a water filled log.

But there’s good news. That’s not the end of the story. Our Heavenly Father, like Marc did for Cole, has compassion on us, understands our failings, and steps in in ways that are above and beyond our expectations, if not to rescue, at least to comfort. He’s done it for me in my life over and over again; taken what I have broken only to repair it, make it new, make it beautiful. No, God’s mercy doesn’t come in UPS boxes the way Cole’s phone did today, but it is always right on time.

Psalm 51:1
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.

When Cole got home from school today, he saw his new phone charging in the kitchen and his already round eyes became even more so. “Oh,” he said excitedly, “you got me a sidekick?” “Your daddy did,” I smiled. He rushed into Marc’s office to offer his thanks, the same way I’ve rushed into God’s presence to offer mine time and again. Let’s face it, we mess up sometime and things get screwy. But God is a good god, full of grace and compassion, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. And, I for one am glad about it.

Peace and Blessings,

Nicole Walters