This life is full of mercy
and abounding in grace
In this life, God does not withhold from us
countless good things we do not deserve
What of each sunrise and each morning
or each bright night filled with sparkling stars
what of the sea breeze and of the soft sand
what of the music that pleases our ears
what of the rain and the snow
what of the stream or the stillness of the lake
what of each smile we behold
or the warmth of each hand we hold
Truly in this life,
it is God who sustains every good thing
that He may reveal unto us
His ever unfailing love
He could have just left us desolate
in the darkness
He could have made us wait in pain
or in refining fire
He could have thrust unto us the vision we have lost
and the misery of the depths to which our souls have fallen fast
He could have plunged us where the fallen angels are
and made us decide right there and then which way we yearn to go
He could have withheld His goodness
He could have spoken to us in Judgment alone
But He opened wide for us the door of His mercy
and spoke as a Gentle Shepherd to the lost
He took our pain
and gave us everything we do not deserve
He loved us
not because we are worthy to be loved
But because He is Love Himself
and bestows upon all
such Mercy and Graces we can never understand
The thing about hope is that it’s a positive force that shines the most when it’s dark. When everything’s going well, we hardly notice it’s there. But when things go against us, when our dreams fade and when we see no immediate reprieve from our troubles, that’s when hope does its best work for us.
"Where Hope Can Be Found"