If you have enough children it will happen. You will wake up one morning wondering what in the world were you thinking? Of course they were all so cute as babies. Like kittens are cute. Puppies are cute. But then one day you come home and your Staffordshire Bull terrier puppy has gotten all big and eaten a hole through your wall and you get on your knees and look from your laundry room into the kitchen, thinking I can crawl through this hole, and you realize this is bad. You don’t even own this house. Your uncle owns this house. There’s going to be hell to pay and you don’t know how to pay hell. You aren’t even a Christian yet.

Twenty-five years later, you sit on the couch with tears streaming down your face as one of those kids you had tells you he doesn’t want to live for Jesus and won’t live for Jesus and you think, oh my son, my precious son, you just chewed a hole in the wall. You have so much to learn, my son. You will learn there is hell to pay. And you can’t afford this payment.

But surprisingly, you don’t get mad at your son for chewing a hole in your wall.

Just like your uncle didn’t get mad at you when your dog Evie chewed a hole in the wall. To your utter astonishment, your uncle looked at the hole, and looked at you and said, “Honey, I know you can’t afford to fix this hole. I’ll fix this hole, but don’t leave the damned dog in the house anymore when you aren’t home.”

Your uncle with the really bad temper. A man known for his fiery fits. He smiles at you. Even hugs you. It’s not your first lesson in mercy, but it’s the one you most remember. You didn’t get what you deserved that day. Your dog didn’t get what she deserved. Love covered a multitude of sins, 1 Peter 4:8. And your rich uncle fixed the house so good, you couldn’t even tell a hole was ever there.

For some crazy, stupid reason, maybe for the same crazy, stupid reason you had all those kids to begin with–maybe you’re just a love junkie– you love your son even more after he chews a hole in the wall of your life. You get on your knees and think, I might just be able to fit through this hole. Maybe this hole leads to a place that’s kind of nice. Think of all the learning and growing your son’s going to do, the learning and growing you’re going to do, all the new people you’re going to love.

But this hole certainly doesn’t lead to the life you dreamed of for your son. He won’t be standing up with all the kids who attended Faith Christian School since kindergarten together losing their teeth as they learned their Bible verses. Mrs. Crawford won’t be there when your son graduates. Mr. Hannold won’t be there. Mr. Finlay won’t be there. Because you don’t know them, these really special people, many of you might not understand why I sit here weeping as I write this tonight because these precious people won’t be at Luke’s high school graduation. Nor will Mrs. Finlay, the English teacher Luke loves, or Mr. Herrera, the Spanish teacher who may as well walk on water since he’s so much like Jesus. Certainly, there has been a Mr. or Mrs. Teacher in your life down the line who helped you become the person you were meant to be.

My son doesn’t know this yet because he’s not yet who he’s meant to be, but some day he will. Know this. That the people who raise you, shape you. For better or for worse they shape you, and my son has been shaped for better. For so much better than chewing holes in the wall. But today there is mercy for this hole. Someone far richer than us is fixing our house.

His name is Jesus and he’s the hole fixer of all hole fixers. You won’t even know you had a hole if you let Jesus fix it for you. Let the Lover of your soul fix your holes. All of them. The holes of yesterday, today, and forever. Because he is the God of yesterday, today, and forever, Hebrews 13:8.

Martin Luther, needing to grasp hidden strength during a time of danger and fear in his life, was seen tracing on the table with his finger the words, “He lives! He lives!”

Thank God the God of mercy lives!