Fortunate & Grateful

“Seek justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8, Courageous by Casting Crowns, Sing-song Version)

“He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you Except to be just, and to love [and to diligently practice] kindness (compassion), And to walk humbly with your God [setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness]?” (Micah 6:8 Amplified Bible)

Yvette Wyatt

Today I’d like to share a bit of why Micah 6:8 has been one of my lean-on verses for the past 23-24 years. For a summer or two in the early 2000’s, we were paying our youth a $25 stipend to teach the younger children’s Sunday School class with adult support. My son Michael (a teen youth then) thought that with the help of his teacher mom, this might be easy money. (Hmm… I think he changed his mind as I recall he only signed up for one Sunday.)

Micah 6:8 was the lesson he was assigned and well, as the saying goes, “You learn the most when teaching others.” It was through our time of preparing for this lesson together that I came to love and to be claimed by this verse. (Though it didn’t ignite a passion for teaching in Michael, I often feel like he took the lesson to heart as these attributes were so clearly reflected in his life.)

It is a simple but comprehensive directive on what God deems good and requires to live a life directed by love. Additionally, we are reminded that this command has been told to us (ME!) before, again and again and again some more. What I hear in Micah 6:8 are the specific “how to’s” of Matthew 22:37, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. And love your neighbor as you love yourself.” And I, “O wo-man” definitely benefit from having a message repeated in varied and multiple ways as I inch my way to maturity in faith.

It is when I find myself rewinding and repeating a conversational conflict through my retro mind-cassette (attempting to justify my hurt/anger) that I eventually realize I need to return (yet again) to what I have been told is ‘good’. While this sounds simple, it often feels impossible on my own. For me to return to the path of justice, mercy and humility, I have to actually backtrack, starting with the intention to set aside my ‘overblown sense of self-righteousness’.

This is where I sulkily discovered myself this past weekend, with my feet mashing about in a mess of muddy indignation. It was when I was able to confess to myself that my intention was still on the muck and not on the path — with the timing of this oddly following McLane’s message ‘Rich Living’ — that I was finally open to the idea of softening my heart and releasing my grasp on this unforgiveness.

So, it was with gratitude (yet again) that I was given the opportunity to share my struggle with a good FPC friend. In our conversation, he gently offered the blessing of confrontation — reminding me that God calls us to the action of kindness. This caring act of mercy was what enabled the momentum of Micah 6:8 to take hold in my heart, soul, and mind. Later in the day, this wise, kind FP encourager shared a prayer for ‘grace and peace’. What a blessing it is to realize one’s struggle is being lifted to God in real time. This diligent practice of mercy and kindness is the explicit demonstration of Love 1st in the accent of Matthew 22:37!

Though this time, it was myself who was the fortunate and grateful recipient of this generous mercy, I believe this is what is attracting many who are seeking a church family where the values of Micah 6:8 are lived out and can be tangibly felt. This is what all those folks who are saying, “You are all so friendly here,” mean.
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Blessed to be a FPC Sister,
Yvette Wyatt