Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23, NIV)
Recently, on our drive to daycare, my 3-year-old, unprompted, said, “I woke up, and I wasn’t in trouble anymore.”
I immediately thought of the verse that’s hanging in our house by the sink: “Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23.)
His mercies are new every morning! Shout it for your soul to hear.
My young son’s ability to move on from a sky-is-falling tragedy is enviable, often going from tears to laughter in the time it takes to blink. The desire to start fresh, to move on from disappointment, gets harder as the years pass. Scar tissue tends to build up in sport and in life.
One of the great comebacks I’ve ever witnessed came last year at the Masters. American Nick Dunlap posted an eye-popping 90 in the opening round for all the world to see. Rather than pack up and give in, he had his trainer go out to Target to buy as many balls as he could find so Nick could hit them in the woods later that night, armed only with his cell phone.
The next day, I watched Dunlap hit shots in places I’d never seen, even had trouble finding him a time or two, he was so offline. But he gutted his way around Augusta National in 1-under 71, a victory of its own kind.
There’s a temptation to beat ourselves up over mistakes and humiliations when our Heavenly Father has long forgiven them. Sometimes it’s not the mistake itself that eats at us as much as how we reacted to it.
Jeremiah reminds us that no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, the Lord’s character does not change. His compassion, his love, and his faithfulness are abundant and steadfast.
PRAYER: Father God, thank you for giving us the ability to greet each morning with renewed hope and vigor. We lay our fears at your feet and ask that you forgive us for all the ways we’ve fallen short.