Tears...tears...tears...
Grumbling words, fierce argument, thundering footfalls on the stairs...who would tell Mama first?
There is no chance...Mama asks the first question of the one in tears.
Her tears soften, she tells me the problem- it gains resolution - her smile plays hopscotch on her mouth, it cannot be contained. All is well, she plays again.
A toughened heart stares at me. The thunder of her feet told me of the rumblings and disquiet of her heart. "We live each moment under grace and mercy."
Jesus poured out grace and mercy and love on us. We don't deserve it, but it was his lover's heart that broke over us and poured rivers of mercy and showers of grace over us.
I called her to rememberance. "Remember the bucket maker at Colonial Times? What did he say was needed to keep the bucket from leaking?"
"A tight fit of wood and the copper bands," she whispered.
"What else?" I prodded.
"Water."
"Yes, water. Water made the wood swell and created a seal - a good seal. A good colonist would never allow their bucket to go dry. Our hearts are like a dry bucket. Nothing inside, and useless otherwise. But Jesus poured grace and mercy into our hearts. Our hearts are swollen and useful. We can pour out grace and mercy and love on others. Jesus' constant flow of these things keep our hearts full, able to be poured out over and over."
Daily we own a choice - to be poured out -- joyfully, knowingly -- Jesus poured himself out for us. Like a drink offering.
"And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who he has given us." ~Romans 5:5
The day moved forward - we all started pouring. Droplets of grace, mercy, and love were found everywhere.
No comments:
Post a Comment