Mercy, Mercy

“Have you seen my school shoes?” Victoria asked, calmly.
Oh, how I dread that question, especially at 10:00 p.m. It almost delivered me from the ‘my youngest child only has three more years of high school’ thought that has been echoing in my mind this past week. “No, Victoria, I have not seen your school shoes.”
“I’m pretty sure I left them in the locker room. I had P.E. last period, then cheerleading practice after school. Yes, they’re in the locker room.”
“So, now what?” I, the mother, asked the child. “Do I write a letter? Do we go to school early to search for the shoes? Do I keep you home until the store opens and I buy another pair?”
“Hmmm, I’m not sure,” she quietly said. I was a little surprised by her demeanor. Just a few hours before, she had yelled at her sister for chewing too loudly. Now, in the midst of a real dilemma, she was deep in thought. This aspect of Victoria’s personality is a lot like mine. The more stressed I am, the quieter I become as I try to sort out my options.
“I’ll find some,” she announced. She sent a text message to her friend, Megan, who contacted her cousin, who said that Victoria could borrow her shoes. Within minutes, two more families were drawn into our little late night drama.
As we drove to pick up the shoes, I thought how some parents, and even some psychologists, would advise me to send her to school without the shoes, allow her to suffer the consequences, and learn a lesson. However, since I’ve been the one who has been blessed to raise Victoria Grace, she’s stuck learning lessons my way.
I’ve not only accidentally forgotten things, but I’ve made also made wrong decisions, and sometimes said things I should not have even thought. At times such as these, I quickly fall on the mercy of the Father, and quietly wait to hear His voice. My soul is refreshed when I remember the words of Lamentations 3:22, 23, “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh every morning.” If there are consequences, I know they are buffered by the love of my God. Because of His graciousness towards me, I don’t deny it to my children.
I pray Victoria lives her life fully aware of the unfailing love of her Heavenly Father. As she moves from dependence on me, to dependence upon Him, I want her to bask in His love, swim in His mercy, and be quick to extend it to others.
Okay, and I want her to remember her school shoes.