Snapdragons and Mercy
Let love be genuine; Abhor what is evil; Hold fast to what is good.
Rom. 12:9
The one who makes note of injuries and still expects to pray may as well gather water to store in a bucket full of holes. Sure, you can justify your anger-even during prayer-just know you have soiled yourself before God.
Evagrios of Pontos (345-399)
The early morning sun creeps above the mountain to warm a cool Colorado earth and reveal the first of the seasons yellow snapdragons. The fragrant air, so delicate against my cheek, fills my head with sweetness as I quickly move across the crunchy grass, to see the wonder God has brought this day. But the grey morning hour has already filled my heart with His cleansing mercies. Long hurts, angers really, finally spoken aloud, wrenched from the hidden caverns of my soul. Now a palpable filth almost without measure, it had first entered as only a small wrong committed by a brother, but allowed to harbor and grow nurtured by the fertilizer of righteous indignation. But as the flower blooming only in His due time, Christ our Lord has chosen this morning to spread His great mercy, to forgive his pathetic soiled follower who was trying to justify even while asking forgiveness. Grace is fresh every morning-let us set forth His most worthy praise.
Blessings
David