Justice, mercy and grace

It’s human nature to want to see justice done, especially if you’re the victim of some wrongdoing. “I hope they get what they deserve” is a common sentiment we use when discussing criminals standing trial.

Of course, justice can be a bitter pill when it’s you who has to face the consequences of your actions. Those are the times when compassion and mercy – not getting what we deserve – are what we’d really rather see.

We were the recipients of a good dose of mercy yesterday. Just outside of Flagstaff, one of “Arizona’s finest” pulled Lori over while she was driving and I was in the passenger seat. He claimed Lori wasn’t wearing her seat belt, so he decided to do a “Level 3” inspection, which includes going over all of our permits, load paperwork, and driving logs.

We figured we were both in for a ticket; Lori for the seatbelt and me for being in the passenger seat when my log said I was in the sleeper berth. After about 20 minutes, the officer came back and let us off with what amounted to a written warning about not having a copy of the trailer’s registration with us and my log discrepancy. His decision to be merciful was much appreciated.

Had the officer decided to not to note those two things on his inspection report, we would have been eligible for a cash bonus from Prime for passing a safety inspection. That would have been an example of the other end of the spectrum; grace, or getting good things we don’t deserve.

Fortunately, we are the recipients of mercy and grace every day. Instead of giving us what we deserve, God shows His mercy by giving all of us the opportunity to avoid the very real eternal consequences of disobeying His rules. But more than that, He gives us grace by allowing us to spend eternity with Him, something we certainly do not deserve. You, too, can enjoy His grace and mercy. Click here to find out how.