Maybe, like me, you’ve made a mess of things. You’ve given your life to Jesus, received his forgiveness, and are being sanctified by the Holy Spirit - but that hasn’t stopped you from making an unrecognizable mess of things. There are days when I’m overwhelmed by my ability to choose the wrong response; the wrong response to hardships that aren’t necessarily my fault and wrong responses to opportunities God has brought my way. It’s as if God has dressed me in wonderful “church clothes” and I immediately run outside and play in the mud, only to return to Jesus with my head hung low and hands lifted, filled with mud and shirt covered. If you can resígnate with that experience then maybe it will do your heart well, with mine, to be reminded of the ever-sufficient mercy of God.

We often see other people's shortcomings more clearly than our own. This is true in marriage, friendship, and practically any relationship - even when we see people in the government, or social media. We judge people more harshly than we judge ourselves. How can we, instead, give as much mercy as we hope to receive?