Yesterday was a tremendously good day.  Kathy and I loved the walking tour of historic Charleston and the visit to the Magnolia Plantation.  Amazing history is buried here in this part of our country.  Out west we are only a couple hundred years old.  They double that and more here on the east side of our great land.  It is enjoyable to connect to the stories behind the history we learned as a youth.  On the way home we were stopping in a town not too far south from Myrtle Beach where we are staying.  I was needing to make a left turn at the light ahead.  I could see the turn lane (it was dark by now) so I started to veer left into it.  However, I wasn’t past the 6″ cement rail dividing lanes yet.  I was only going about 20-25 mph, but what I did caused a hole in the sidewall of the left front tire which went flat immediately.  Luckily, I was close to a bank so I pulled into their parking lot and changed the tire.

Wouldn’t you know my scripture reading this morning in part was about giving mercy–Matthew 9:13.  Christ was telling the Pharisees to give mercy.  There is a story at this point in my Bible written by Joyce Meyer.  She tells about God awakening her to her need to be merciful.  However, in learning about this she found that she could not be merciful to others until she was able to give herself mercy.  Mercy simply means kindness.  This message was screaming at me after last night.  “Good grief, what is wrong with you.  Why do I ever let you drive?  All you’re good for is making more messes and costing more money.”  These and more were the messages in my head I was fighting last night and into the night.  This morning I asked God to help me learn mercy as He gives it.  If I’m ever to be the merciful friend, I must love my neighbor as myself.  This includes being merciful to my neighbor as I am to me.

I felt God asking me to join Him today being merciful.  For heavens sake, it is a flat tire and that’s all.  I know He wants  me to hear what He is saying and even what I’d say to someone else if I knew this story for them.  Try saying to me what I’d say to my neighbor, “Wow, that’s too bad.”  Kathy even tried to console me a little last night and I about bit her head off.  She wanted to give me a hug to comfort me and I backed away telling her I’m not able to be comforted.  She saw my inner turmoil.  She finally just told me to not let this incident spoil our great day.  I knew she was right and this morning God is joining her in telling me the same.  Mercy is the right starting place.  I’ll accept kindness from myself and others and go forward getting a flat tire fixed today and thank God that’s all that was wrong.