These are interesting times in the political clime of the United States. As with most people, I have found the daily political news riveting. One phrase that has reverberated with me over the past few weeks is the concept of political appointees serving at the pleasure of the President. They can be fired or removed without any reason as and when it suits the President. This is also the same in the workplace where non-unionized employees serve at the pleasure of the CEO. Granted, this is a simplistic statement that is best considered along with the various nuances that could accompany such actions.
As I listened to the debates, I was struck by the similarity between that concept and a nugget of wisdom that most Christians would do well to remember at all times – that we live at the pleasure of God’s mercy. Scripture tells us clearly that our lives and times are in God’s hands (Psalm 31:15) and that it is because of His mercy that we are not consumed (Lamentations 3:22). While we all pray to live long and fulfilling lives, keeping our mortality in the background of our mindset can be a good check on our choice of words and actions.
This point was driven home to me multiple times in the last few weeks as I learnt about the sudden and unexpected demise of three people that I knew in the middle of their daily activities; playing tennis, sleeping and watching television. I was not close to any of these people and yet I was deeply affected by their passing. One was a distant acquaintance from college that I had not set eyes on since that period; the other two were people that I had not interacted with physically but had cause to have a series of conversations with them in the recent past that resulted in acts of kindness to my family and I.
Coincidentally, I learnt about each of these incidents in the middle of celebrations of milestones in my family. And each time, I was subdued in the middle of my joy as the thoughts of the suddenness of it all got me thinking. We live at the pleasure of God’s mercy. The gift of life should never be taken for granted. As the wise saying goes, ‘If you think, you were woken in the morning by your alarm clock, think about those whose alarm clocks ringing at the loudest volume could not wake them up.’
A few decades ago, I was prone to judging those who start or end their sentences with ‘God-willing’ or ‘By God’s Grace’ as show-off Christians (or show-boaters and grand-standers!) who were just trying to let everyone know that they had a great relationship with God. And yet it is a biblical instruction found in the 4th chapter of the letter of the Apostle James, where he cautions against boasting about tomorrow’s business plans and condemns all types of worldly boasting (vs 13-15). As the Matthew Henry bible commentary on this verse succintly puts it: All we design (plan), and all we do should be with submissive dependence on God. It is foolish, and it is hurtful, to boast of worldly things and aspiring projects…
And so in the past few years, I have taken to adding ‘By God’s Grace’ to my futuristic statements to friends and family, be it ‘future’ of one year or ‘future’ of the end of the day. (Of course, it would be improper to do this in certain places, but I am mastering muttering it under my breath if the setting is inappropriate). Initially, my kids were always exasperated at my refusal to make any plans with them without adding the phrase, thinking I was just looking for a leeway to get out of said plans rather than make a firm commitment. The look of frustration on my daughter’s face when I would promise to take her to Smashburger in the evening ‘by God’s Grace’ was often priceless. Even after I shared the passage above with them, it still tickled them from time to time, especially if they were only asking for the simplest of things.
And that’s o.k. It is understandable not to worry about mortality when one is young and carefree. So perhaps it is the reality of middle age and hearing about friends in the prime of their lives transitioning or perhaps it is just a deeper level of spirituality. I really don’t know. But I am now acutely conscious of being grateful for every new morning when my eyes open and I am schooling myself to ensure my first words are “Thank you Father for waking me up this morning.” Add to this the constant news of catastrophic incidents (be they man-made acts of wickedness or acts of nature) that we seem to learn about everyday, and it would be more than proper to remind ourselves in the morning and at the end of the day that ‘It is because of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.’ Lamentations 3:22 KJV
Yes indeed, we live at the pleasure of God’s mercy. If we are blessed enough to be reading this, it is because we have been kept from known (and unknown) disasters by His mercies. May this constant reminder of our absolute dependence on God’s mercy help us to start every new day determined to walk further with God in our journey of faith by the power of His spirit. Amen.
Rest in peace Eugene, Florence and Prof. O.
Hilltop Thoughts, Valley Strengths 