"A Reflection on Mercy and Memory"

Ray's Daily Devotion Reflection - "A Reflection on Mercy and Memory" 

It’s not hard to spot sin in others—especially when it looks nothing like our own. What’s harder is remembering the grace that met us before we ever thought to ask for it.

Most judgment doesn’t come from righteousness; it comes from forgetfulness. We forget where we were when God found us. We forget the patience He showed, the mercy He extended, and the long road He walked with us while we learned how to walk with Him.

When that memory fades, mercy runs dry. Conviction turns sharp. Discernment becomes disdain. And before we realize it, we’re holding stones we were never meant to carry, let alone throw.

Scripture doesn’t deny the reality of sin—but it refuses to let us rank it. All have sinned. (Romans 3:23). That truth isn’t meant to shame us; it’s meant to steady us. It reminds us that we stand before God by grace alone, not by comparison.

If God showed restraint with us, we can show restraint with others. If He extended mercy freely, we can do the same—without compromising truth or surrendering conviction.

Sometimes the most faithful thing we can do is pause, remember, and choose mercy again, because grace grows best in a heart that remembers where it came from.