Echoes of mercy, whispers of love…

Maybe you know that phrase from a hymn?  Sometimes things just jump out at you.

Our time here in Iraq has been blessed.  How else can you consider it?  

We have been attacked by mortars on more than one occasion (See Blog post:  “Give me that boom, boom, boom…”) with only some damaged aircraft, holes in equipment, and some worried Soldiers. Major Beauty’s window blown out and a large piece of hot shrapnel making a hole and bouncing back to burn (melt) a hole into her nylon cover on her bed (She wasn’t in her room and the shrapnel would have missed her head anyway if she was lying down on her bed…). There were a few Soldiers shaken up here and there at the time (and many more gun shy for the rest of the time), but no loss of life or serious injuries.  Is that mercy or what?

We have had some medical emergencies here; gallstones (requiring removal of the gall bladder, broken bones, some more broken something or other (bike accident) requiring serious medical evacuation and falling off an aircraft.  Numerous Soldiers sent home for family emergencies, misconduct and a little of this and that.  But nobody has committed suicide (Thank God!) and overall there is a good feeling of morale throughout the organization.

God’s love, mercy and grace is everywhere you look if you only choose to see.  But you have to listen; you need to look.  We know that there are whispers of love and echoes, echoes, echoes of his mercy everywhere for those who have ears to hear.   

Psalm 143:8

 Cause me to hear thy loving kindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.

Matthew 13:15 (paraphrase)

¹⁵ …Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears,
   understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.