Justice or Mercy?

Wow! What a week in Lakeland with our students.  We spent four days doing ministry to two different groups of people; the first group was, others.  We spent three days working on homes of people who were not able to do for themselves. Not, didn't want to.  Just lacked the physical or financial ability to do labor or two spend three horribly humid days sweating from places I didn't even realize there were sweat glands! Ew!  I am mopping my brow just remembering it. One lady was Mrs. Roberson, a sweet elderly woman who recently lost her husband.  We had helped them out with a semi-somewhat extreme home makeover two years ago by completely repainting her house, re-landscaping the yard, and removing a 3 foot tall pile of garbage that had accumulated over the years.  We estimate that about 4 to 5 K worth of work was done renovating her garage and repairing termite damage and painting the kitchen and yard work. 

The other home was with an older couple we'll call "Denise and Tony." We scraped and repainted their entire "home" (read trailer).  Doesn't sound like much until you remember that we were working with a group of about 14 teenagers. =)  We also rebuilt two staircase decks that they had attached to their abode as well.  Painted the shed, then the deck, then the trim, then, and then, and then... the list seemed to grow and grow with this lady and it didn't seem like she was much appreciative.  I asked a couple of leaders to pray for my attitude and after consulting my counselor (read wife) who has her MASTERS, I was given some good advice and agreed to move on from there.  It DID continue to bother me but I was eventually able to let it go and to work more joyfully the next day.  It wasn't until that evening that I learned, the REST of the story. 

Denise and Tony had worked scheduled by a neighbor who had subsequently taken around $4,000 from them and never finished the work.  When Larry returned later that evening to fix a water heater, another of Denise's "honey-do" items, he talked to her after it was done.  He explained that he understood that she had been "robbed" of the work but that this week she had been given a very precious gift in that we had finished that work and MORE during our time. "Denise," he consoled her, "it's time to let it go and forgive because God has given you so much more, you need to forgive." Her eyes filled with tears and she wept as she realized that she had punished these wonderful teens for what someone else had done to her.  She threw her hands in the air and shouted, "I am FREE!"  At that moment she was no longer bound to unforgiveness and anger.   It was a tender moment and as Larry recounted it later that evening I realized that I can either spend my days looking for "justice" or I can show mercy and let God do, what He came to do.