No Mistakes
So… the two-pound bag of pistachios has been emptied… mostly into me! The melt-in-your-mouth dark chocolate truffles have all melted… in my mouth! Dusty decorations are once again stored in their corner of the basement. The new year is here in full force!
One of my favorite sayings comes from the movie, Anne of Green Gables. Anne, the main character, is a feisty orphan who has a knack for getting into predicaments. Her teacher walks Anne home from school one day and listens to her lament over her habit of getting into trouble. The kind and wise teacher says simply, “Remember Anne, every day is a new day with no mistakes in it.”
How Biblical! Whether the script-writer knew it or not, that exact message is found in Scripture. Lamentations 3: 22 & 23 says, It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
With the Lord, not only is 2009 a new start, but today is too! In fact, every day I get to begin again. I cannot comprehend why my Heavenly Father should put up with me. It seems I never make it through a single day without some mess-up. Yet, amazingly He forgives, picks me up, brushes me off and gives me a second chance… and a third… and a 3,245th! That is the unfailing mercy of God! What a priceless gift!
I received some nice gifts on December 25. But every gift I opened Christmas morning is already growing old. Eventually each one will fall apart or be discarded. But how thankful I am for Divine, never-ending mercy that gives me unlimited fresh starts. It is truly the gift that keeps on giving!
It is the gift I know I’ll need today and tomorrow and any time I receive another two-pound bag of pistachios!
Lord Jesus, thank you for a new day with no mistakes in it. Help me keep it that way! And in the event that I ignore Your gentle voice, do whatever it takes to get my attention, so I can fess up and begin again with a clean slate. Thank You for Your compassion that never is depleted! How great is Your faithfulness!