“Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful” (Psalm 116:5).

Louise walked into an awkward situation at work. Helen and Margaret were sharing a bit of information that Louise had shared with them in confidentiality. It seemed that Louise was going through a particularly difficult time in her marriage, and she had told her two friends. It may have been unwise to have shared this information because now her friends were telling the other ladies in the lunch room all about the matter. The conversation came to an abrupt pause as Louise walked into the group. Helen gasped and was profoundly embarrassed. She and Margaret had betrayed their friend. Everyone waited to see what Louise would do. Accepting the apology of both Helen and Margaret, she extended mercy and grace. In a righteous manner she said, “You have hurt me deeply, but I accept your apology. The Lord Jesus has forgiven me many times in my life. In His mercy He has withheld what I have deserved on more than one occasion. I certainly forgive you. If you will excuse me, I think I would like to return to my desk.” Tears formed in her eyes as she turned away. It was in that moment that the Lord Jesus flooded her life with a deep joy in the midst of this deep hurt. Like the Lord, she responded graciously, righteously, and mercifully.

For today: In what ways today will you respond to people as the Lord has responded to you?