Praise to the God of all Comfort: mercy is waiting

This morning I met with my small group from Renovare, via teleconference. This is a group of six of us that are taking the two year course together but communicate together through our journey. We talked about our residency together last week and “re-entry” back into life. It was a beautiful time of conversation and prayer where six individuals, male and female, in different parts of the country (& Canada), in six different stages of life, and of six different backgrounds all came together to realize we are all at a place of wanting, seeking, desiring, and struggling to encounter God in the “ordinary places” of our lives. The pains, the griefs, the work situations, the child-raising, the responsibilities we all face could consume us, but they don’t. They don’t because we each are willing to be willing. We are willing to put our trials and hurts and struggles out there in the open to each other, to be prayed over and encouraged in. It is a vulnerable and raw place to be but, oh, the blessings of living in community with each other and of connectedness! We need it. Our souls cry out for it. It is what we were created for. Our souls know it well.
After the meeting, I heard the song (below) come on the radio. It is called “If We’re Honest,” by Francesca Battistelli. And to be completely honest, I don’t really care for the song. The melody and tone just are not all that appealing to me, but the words spoke to me. I heard “the dark seems safer than the light” and “bring your brokenness and I’ll bring mine” because “mercy’s waiting on the other side.” That is totally where I am in life. So many times the dark seems safer, like a cozy place for me to curl up and wait for healing. But sometimes we have to take the initiative to pick up our broken selves and step into the light. If you bring your brokenness, I will bring mine and we can enter the light together. God is calling us to be his adult children, to not be content with being bottle-fed his directions and having to be told every single step to take. At some point he has transformed our characters and hearts into a place where he wants us to take steps forward in faith, in truth, in trust, in creativity, in initiative, into fellowship and into the light. And his abundant mercies meet our obedience in every step. Just like a parent who rejoices at seeing their child do some good work without being told what and how to do it. We rejoice when our children make right choices because we know their hearts and minds have learned and are in step with what we have taught them. So, too, does God rejoice over us with gladness when we are honest with him and step forward into the creative and ordinary things he has asked us to have dominion and responsibility over. God is present in all the ordinary places of my life, the conversations with others, the chores, the brokenness, and the invitation into the light.
So, my friends, if you bring your brokenness, I will too.
Mercy is waiting for us on the other side.

Flowers pushing through the snow - Sumas, WA

If We’re Honest Lyrics;

Truth is harder than a lie
The dark seems safer than the light
And everyone has a heart that loves to hide
I'm a mess and so are you
We've built walls nobody can get through
Yeah, it may be hard, but the best thing we could ever do, ever do

Bring your brokenness, and I'll bring mine
'Cause love can heal what hurt divides
And mercy's waiting on the other side
If we're honest
If we're honest

Don't pretend to be something that you're not
Living life afraid of getting caught
There is freedom found when we lay our secrets down at the cross, at the cross

So bring your brokenness, and I'll bring mine
'Cause love can heal what hurt divides
And mercy's waiting on the other side
If we're honest
If we're hones

It would change our lives
It would set us free
It's what we need to be

So bring your brokenness, and I'll bring mine
'Cause love can heal what hurt divides
And mercy's waiting on the other side
If we're honest
If we're honest
If we're honest