But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

Amos‬ ‭5‬:‭24

Woah there. Hold the justice train up. I’m not so sure how I feel about how all-inclusive that feels.

Isn’t it funny how we want justice for others without question, yet turn the tables and we are desperate for mercy for ourselves?

The polarizing nature of discourse today makes it easy to fall victim to painting everything in black and white.

And sure, there are absolutes. There are black and white issues of right and wrong. But when it comes to the heart, when it comes to the deep rooted health of a person grasping for help, we would do well to pause.

I knew a man who returned to serve a sentence in jail after a fair amount of sobriety. I only knew him as a sober man, and I wouldn’t have guessed that he even had an alcoholic past.

But he had. And he paid. And he stayed sober through the ordeal. And he returned with another piece of hope that he was now equipped to share with others.

Yes, we screw justice up often. We get it wrong as much as we get it right, maybe.

But we can’t stray away from it. It’s part of the glue that holds us together.

As we grow up in sobriety, we learn to walk the line and pay for our own lunches. We learn to accept responsibility. And we learn to hold the hope that comes from the mercies of God and our fellows closely.

God, help me show others mercy as much as I can.