When I think about the Mercy of Jesus, it always brings me back to what could have been. What SHOULD have been. My heart was broken, my body was tired. Apathetic and bitter. I had no hope or faith left to believe in anything. Maybe that's the boat you're in. Maybe you've lost something you once held dear and now you're lost in a wilderness. Maybe your life is exactly what you want it to be. Maybe you have everything you need, but you feel like there's something more.

You need an anchor. A guiding light. Something to hope for.
 
You're not alone, and you never have been. You're not blind, your eyes are squeezed shut for fear of seeing what could hurt. Your heart is numb now. Get up. Look around you. Those burdens you're dragging around? That heartbreak? That guilt from past mistakes made? That fear of what may come? That sin that's separating you from God? That deadness deep inside you? That's all too heavy for you to carry and impossible for you to make right. Turning your head away won’t solve it and it's too broken for you to fix alone. But you're not alone.

All of us, even believers, have let flesh carry us to a place beyond what we ever intended. We do the things we don’t want to do, and don’t do the things we want to do. (Romans 7:19) We all sin, we all fall short. There is no exception. But we’ve been given the invitation to a new life with Christ. We are to set our sights on the things of Heaven and turn away from lust, greed, revelry, malice, all the things that eat away at what we know is right. In God’s mercy we our dead to these things and are made alive in Christ Jesus. (Colossians 3)

Jesus took the full weight of all the sin, shame, and guilt upon Himself on the cross. Then He died the death that our sin was dragging us all toward. Then, 3 days later, He rose from the  grave proving that once and for all He had conquered death, Hell, and the grave. We were all destined for that punishment. That's what SHOULD have been. But, Jesus thought you were worth it then. He sees you worth it now.  

The wages of sin is death. But because of what He did, every ounce of sin and regret you carry is no longer yours to bear. We're ALL in need of a Savior, all you have to do is being honest about it with Him and let Him in.

Turn to Him. I prayed a prayer one day when I found myself desperate to be clean, desperate to breathe. Hungry to live. I've never been the same since. It went something like this: "Dear Jesus, I know what I've done. I know that you've seen it all. I know that I've ignored you. I'm broken beyond worldly repair. So I will relinquish all my control. I've lost all control. I give up my right to justify my behavior and act based on how I feel. I ask that you would please forgive me for it all and give me a new heart and a future. I want to trust and follow You alone as my Lord and Savior. I want You to be my God, this moment now and forevermore. Amen."

For the believer, there is a new grace and mercy to lean into every morning. For the unbeliever, the door is open to life and life more abundantly with a Father who loves you more than anyone on this Earth ever could. The Mercy of Jesus covers us all.