Thoughtful Thursday 

Lord Have Mercy!

Awhile back, my husband and I were riding around, enjoying the beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains. We had needed some time to decompress. His mother had recently been place in a nursing home for rehabilitation, and my sister was a permanent resident in the same nursing home.

On this particular day, we just wanted to occupy our minds with something that would replace the worry that we had been experiencing. The day was going along peacefully, when I received a call from one of the nurses who was taking care of my sister. “Do you have a minute to talk to your sister,” she asked. “She’s experiencing some anxiety, and is pretty agitated, so I thought maybe you could calm her down.”

My sister had been diagnosed with dementia, and more recently, with cancer. Because of her medication, she either slept a lot, or was very compliant and easy going. This sudden change in her demeanor was a surprise to us. The nurse handed her the phone, and I could hear the concern and confusion in her voice. After 30-45 minutes, I explained to her that I was two hours away, but I would call another sister who was just a few minutes away. That seemed to make her feel better, and when I checked later, everything was fine, and she had calmed down considerably.

Naturally, our worry had returned. We decided to attend a church service that we were familiar with in the area. Sure enough, this lifted our spirits. The song service was great, and the message was inspiring and uplifting. When we left, we felt much better as we drove away from the church parking lot.

Soon after turning down Dolly Parton Parkway, we were discussing the heavy traffic on both sides of the highway. About that time, a police car, that had been traveling in the oncoming lane, made a 
U-turn, and was a couple of cars behind us. He immediately turn on his flashing lights. “I hope that’s not for us,” my husband said.  It was. We turned into a parking lot, and the police car followed. 

The officer walked up to our car. “Hello,” he said. “I’m Officer So-and So. (I can’t remember his name, but I wish I could). “Do you have your license and registration?” We handed them over, and he said, “Mr. Jenkins, I clocked you going 55, in a 35-mile zone. I’m going to have to write you a ticket.” 

I don’t know why, but I suddenly burst into tears. When the startled officer looked at me, I just said, “It’s been a bad day.” I then explained the situation to him. With compassion, he held up our papers, and said, “Let me check these out, and if nothing is out of place, I’ll let you go.”

As we drove away, I said, “We have been shown mercy, because we truly deserved that ticket. We were guilty.” That reminded me of another time when we were shown mercy. Jesus died on the cross in our place, when we were the ones who were guilty of sin. 

Then, I wanted to pay it forward. Was there someone to whom I could show kindness, someone that I could forgive, or someone that I could be merciful to? How about you? 


“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”  Matthew 5:7