New again

I am in need of newness.

I had a tough weekend, one in which I was very disappointed in myself. Did you ever have a problem with someone and think that you had it all resolved, think that you had your heart in good order, think that you had forgiven and moved on in wholeness, only to discover that unforgiveness was lurking in an ugly little corner of your soul?

My weekend was pretty much ruined by a monster inside me that was unleashed. I became angry over something that happened years ago, and I acted so badly. Now, instead of having enjoyed a pleasant weekend and going on with the work of my week, I'm having to eat all those hasty words and seek to repair the damage that I wrought in my anger.

I would have been too ashamed to get out of bed this morning, except for one thing:

This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

His mercies never come to an end;

They are new every morning.

Great is Your faithfulness.

"The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in Him."

Lamentations 3:22-24

I need NEW. God's mercies have always been there for me, but I need new ones this morning. And they are there, waiting for me. Not only that, they are new every morning. I am dismayed at how faithless I can be--surely I had grown beyond that point? Surely I can't be that bad?! No, I hadn't. I can still be that bad. So I need to know that there will still be mercy for me when I fail.

And there is. So I can in fact have hope. And I can sing all day: "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will hope in Him."

Thank God.

Unwrapped this Tuesday with Emily at Chatting at the Sky

(images courtesy of Google Image Search)