Fraternal Twins

There are two rays of God's light that pour continuously into our lives. They seem to compete, with one racing ahead of the other, then the other outpacing its rival. Back and forth they tug for predominance in our lives.
His goodness and kindness to us is made manifest in these dual aspects: His mercy and His grace.

These two form a nearly identical pair in God's great identity. I state they are "nearly identical" because they are not exact copies– not perfect synonyms– but, rather, symmetric realities. They appear as mirror-images of each other. It has oft been said, but bears repeating yet again, that "mercy" is "not receiving what we do deserve," while "grace" is "receiving what we do not deserve." These twins seem to encompass the whole of God's unrelenting kindness to us– His all-sufficient goodness poured out to meet our all-pervading need.

As I lie in my warm bed this morning, barely awake to the day's realities around me, I find myself reflecting on these two: mercy and grace, grace and mercy. The two words, and the real entities they describe, float around each other, twine together, and weave themselves into patterns far too rich for desciption.

And floating out of that wondrous scene come the two words, beckoning me into a place of thankfulness toward their Author. Then, remarkably, I suddenly realize the two words before me contain within themselves the very seeds for "thankfulness." The common French word used to express thanks is "merci," while their neighbors the Spaniards say "gracias."

Thank You, my wonderful Lord, for Your constant mercy to me, and Your never-failing grace!

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>>> Except for quotations, all text and images are Copyright, Bill Brockmeier, 2015.  All rights reserved.