Justice and Mercy

"... if there was no law given against sin men would not be afraid to sin. And if there was no law given, if men sinned what could justice do, or mercy either, for they would have no claim upon the creature?
But there is a law given, and a punishment affixed, and a repentance granted; which repentance, mercy claimeth; otherwise, justice claimeth the creature and executeth the law, and the law inflicteth the punishment; if not so, the works of justice would be destroyed, and God would cease to be God." Alma 42:20-22

It's very true that God has given us laws that have set punishments affixed for disobedience. What's interesting is that we often don't know what the particular punishment is until we stop disobeying and start following the law. The punishment could be as simple as the withholding of blessings or as serious as losing the companionship of the Holy Ghost. They could be additional trials and roadblocks in our life or painful situations meant to encourage us to turn back to the source of peace and joy.
Some may seem to escape justice and punishment on the earth, but it is an illusion. They will be subject to the full effects of justice without the mitigating touch of mercy. Often those who seem to be profiting from their disobedience here on earth are feeling the affects of their disobedience but choose to chalk it up to outside influences or circumstances. How often does sin lead to depression, discontent, heartache?
The good news is that God granted us the gift of repentance so that we can be shown mercy. This usually means that the length or severity of our punishment is diminished throught Christ's atonement. We still suffer some of the punishment, but it's Christ who bears the brunt of it. It's like getting a few minutes taken off of a time-out or fewer smacks of a spanking. The punishment is affixed and has to be given in full, but Jesus steps up and takes the additional for us.
I think of my dealings with my own daughter. When she is disobedient it often angers me. But at the first sign of real remorse and desire to obey my heart is softened and I want to be more lenient with the punishment. She ends up benefiting from my feelings of mercy and love.
I think Heavenly Father feels much the same way towards us. When we are disobedient it makes Him mad. Sometimes He'll send some pretty severe punishments our way. But at the first sign of real repentance He lets Christ step in and offer to take a portion of our punishment. I can't imagine what it would be like if I had to pay the full price of every sin I've ever committed. I thank God that Jesus made it possible for mercy to have it's claim upon me.

My Week in Review

Before

After

I'm curious as to where the break part comes in with spring break?? Although I appreciated the opportunity to sleep past 5am it somehow seemed unfair that with the exception of one day I never slept past 8am! Ugh!!
I had a good week, though. We found a prom dress for the Mormon Prom that Aimee will attend on the 17th, as well as new heels and a haircut for her. (Needless to say, she's quite happy!)

She's also had plenty of time behind the wheel this week and she's quickly gaining confidence in her driving ability. I think she'll be ready for the interstate way before I'll be ready for her to attempt it! We had plenty of mother-daughter time this week and it was mostly good. We even made it out for a couple of walks in the beautiful weather we've had. With everything else going on, it was truly a blessing to have such perfect weather for spring break.

Yesterday was the big day for our roof. We got a nasty surprise when they pulled off the shingles and found that the entire underlayment was bad. We knew we had some bad boards, but to hear that the whole thing had to be replaced was a bit of a shock, and a bit disheartening too. Did I mention that we had JUST gotten out of debt... and that our house has lost so much value that we couldn't even get a home improvement loan?? I just have to trust that the Lord really will continue to provide and will bless us in our efforts to get out of debt once again.
But... the new roof does look great! And now we won't have to worry about anyone falling through, or leaks, or anything else for years to come. (Hopefully at least until it's paid off!! lol)

Last night Aimee and I went to the Ronald McDonald house with a group of sisters (and one brother) from church. It was nice to be able to give the kids a chance to play some games, decorate cookies, and just relax and enjoy themselves. It brings into focus just how blessed we are to have healthy bodies. Somehow our trials don't seem nearly as big when we see what those kids are going through.

After getting home from the Ronald McDonald house we found David dealing with severe chest pain. Since it showed no sign of letting up we took him to the emergency room. The doctor was cautious and decided to admit him for observation. Aimee and I stayed until after 1am but had to head home for some sleep because I had to be up by 8am. It looks like he'll be going in for a stress test soon to make sure nothing's wrong with his heart, but for right now he is resting (as comfortably as a person can in a hospital) and will hopefully be discharged soon.

Now it's Saturday and I've been working most of the morning to get the house cleaned really good because David's parents are coming for a visit. I still need to run to the store and pick up a few items to make sure we're stocked for our guests... and wait for the call to pick David up!
It's been an interesting, sometimes fun, tiring week!