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"You messed up yesterday."

A thought by Max Lucado from his book, Every Day Deserves a Chance: Wake Up to the Gift of 24 Hours (p. 14). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Yes, you did, you messed up.

Max says, “You messed up yesterday. You said the wrong words, took the wrong turn, loved the wrong person, reacted the wrong way. You spoke when you should have listened, walked when you should have waited, judged when you should have trusted, indulged when you should have resisted.”

He then says, “But you’ll mess up more if you let yesterday’s mistakes sabotage today’s attitude. God’s mercies are new every morning. Receive them. Learn a lesson from the Cascade forests of Washington State. Some of its trees are hundreds of years old, far surpassing the typical lifespan of fifty to sixty years. One leaf-laden patriarch dates back seven centuries! What makes the difference? Daily drenching rains. Deluges keep the ground moist, the trees wet, and the lightning impotent.”

He goes on, “Lightning strikes you as well. Thunderbolts of regret can ignite and consume you. Counteract them with downpours of God’s grace, daily washings of forgiveness. Once a year won’t do. Once a month is insufficient. Weekly showers leave you dry. Sporadic mistings leave you combustible. You need a solid soaking every day. ‘The Lord’s love never ends; his mercies never stop. They are new every morning’ (Lamentations 3:22–23 ncv).”

His love never ends, and his mercies never stop.  They never do.  So, would you soak yourself of his love and his mercies today?  Would you let his love and mercy take care of the mistakes of yesterday?  Would you?  And would you also forgive yourself?


Yes, yes!
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