~ Micah 6:8

When I was a kid I loved getting report cards. I was a good student and got mostly A’s & B’s, so report cards felt like a stamp of approval and validation. 

As an adult, I’ve often wished I could get a report card. 

“Would somebody please tell me how I’m doing here?!”

While I might not get all good ones, there’s something about the objectivity of a grade that is incredibly appealing to me. 

If I got an A, I’d know I was doing well.

If it was a B, there’d be room to improve.

Even a C would let me know I’m average.

A D would motivate me to work harder.

And an F . . well, hopefully I wouldn’t get an F.

That’s why this verse is so appealing to me. I like to read the instructions before I start something. (And read them again. And one more time. And just one more to be sure.)

I like to do things right. So what does God require of me?

1. do justice

2. love mercy

3. walk humbly

I can do that. Simple. Sweet. No prob.

Or can I? 

Might justice doing take a lifetime of conscientious attention to the ever increasing needs of my world?

Mercy is easy to receive. Not so easy to show.

Walk humbly? And all that humility entails?

Maybe it’s a good thing I’m not getting graded. 

Giving thanks . . 

2. the love and support of my husband

3. simple, lifelong tasks