Reflections on Psalm 103

Psalm 103:8 "The Lord is merciful and gracious,     slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love."

I think that this verse captures one side of God that I know about or might be aware of on a "head level", but maybe not in a "heart-level". Also it's easy for me to not actively take time to give praise to God for his patience, mercy, grace, and how he does not keep records of our wrongs while in the midst of my busy lives.

For example, I think about how many times I have pushed away God in favor for school and my other commitments. It's still incredible how God, the heavenly father, keeps no record of our wrongs and keeps pursuing us through people around us and our circumstances.

Sometimes, however, it's also easy for me to get caught up in the comfort that I receive from knowing that God loves me, but this also reminds me of how easy it is to just indulge in this unconditional love and remain stagnant in my relationships with my peers and the people around me. In a way, me just passively receiving this love without reflecting on whether my interactions with the people around me truly stem from loving others keeps me from knowing God, since "anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1 John 4:8).

All in all, it's a daily reminder for me that God's love isn't some crutch for me to feel better about myself whenever I'm having a crummy day, but rather the root for why I actually can love the people around me, since God first loved me. The best part of God's love is sharing his love through my interactions and relationships with others.

-Bailey