His Kindness, My Repentance

It is the kindness of the Lord that leads us to repentance…Romans 2:4

This is a phrase in scripture that echoes in my mind a lot.  Sometimes I am just walking to work and it pops into my mind…sometimes I wake up with this verse on my mind…and sometimes I have to remind myself of this when I need hope in a situation, a person’s life, or my own life. This phrase often brings me to tears because it stirs something in my heart that I cannot explain. I believe God has put this phrase in my life as an echoing mission, something that He wants me to live out in my daily life and hopefully others will be drawn to His kindness as a contagious result.  In my own life it was (and still is) His kindness that surprised(es) me, and drew(draws) me to believe and repent.  This is a constant process, and when I forget of His kindness, I also forget of my need for His kindness...and I can feel it in a heaviness and lack of true joy. But then when I am reminded of His kindness…I am once again surprised and amazed.

Danny’s grandpa past away last week…and when we were with him in his last days, this verse was on my heart. What a wonderful man and grandfather...we were so blessed to have him in our lives. 


Through the death of Christen, this verse echoed as people in grief trusted God for the first time because of who God was in her life. When I see my cousins’ babies Tommy and Jack, I see life and God’s goodness and kindness…the goodness of God's creation that draws people in to believe. I believe it is in death and new life that we see so much of God’s strength and kindness in our lives.  So many days I miss it...God help me to cling to Your kindness...

Here are the lyrics of one of my favorite songs by Chris Tomlin based on this verse:

Open up the skies of mercy
And rain down the cleansing flood
Healing waters rise around us
Hear our cries Lord let them rise

It's Your kindness Lord
That leads us to repentance
Your favor Lord, is our desire
It's Your beauty Lord
That makes us stand in silence
Your love
Is better than life

We can feel
Your mercy falling
You are turning our hearts back again
Hear our praises rise to heaven
Draw us near Lord
Meet us here