Leaning into mercy

Monday in the Second Week of Lent

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful,
for I have taken refuge in you;
in the shadow of your wings will I take refuge
until this time of trouble has gone by. 
Psalm 57:1

As I begin my day, I cannot shake off a sense of unease, and discover a case of the ubiquitous Monday morning dread. The temptation is to give in to it, to allow it to take hold of me, to enumerate all that I have left undone over the weekend as proof that I deserve rebuke. An easy step in that direction will lead me down the path of listing all my faults in a well-rehearsed refrain and deliver me into the unforgiving swamp of despondency.

The enemy excels at subtle.

I throw out a prayer of gratitude for the discipline of the season, which invites me into self-examination and a heightened awareness of the temptation to surrender to sin; including the sin of denying the goodness that is within me. The gift of Lent is to teach me, again and again, not that I am faultless, but that God's mercy abounds.

I lean into the mercy on offer and wrap myself in the spirit of gentles that is available to me on Mondays and every day. And with that, I can smile and know that today will be filled with grace.



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