How do you show mercy?
No one is always at there best. No one is in a constant state of complacency. No one is always loveable. We are human beings with powerful brains that can process thousands of ideas, sounds and images every second. This overload can take a toll on our processes which doesn’t always allow us to bring out the best we have to offer to ourselves, others or this world. This is why we all require the gift of mercy.
Mercy (noun) is defined as,
-"compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm: the boy screaming and begging for mercies of God."
-"an event to be grateful for, especially because its occurrence prevents something unpleasant or provides relief from suffering: his death was in a way a mercy."
-"[as a modifier] (especially of a journey or mission) performed out of a desire to relieve suffering; motivated by compassion: mercy missions to refugees caught up in the fighting."
One of my favorite quotes that I have reflected on countless times is:
"Grace is when God gives us
what we don't deserve.
Mercy is when God doesn't give us
what we do deserve."
Last time I checked, no one is perfect that has walked this earth except for Jesus, who was God and had no sin. WE are all sinners in need of Grace and Mercy. We all will say or do things that should reap heaps of burning coal on our heads. However, most times we are blessed with grace and mercy from our loving God.
As a parent, this is even harder to do for our own children, because we are sinful. We often question how we should teach our children from their mistakes. The truth about children is that they are innocent with a splash of deviousness.
When we are young we usually know when we have messed up. I remember when my daughter Grace was 3 years old and had fun with ink, an incident that is locked in my memory. We were only in our new house for a few days, and she took a pen and drew on the walls. Not a small mark, but a continuous mark that ran down the length of the hallway which led to the stairs and then turned the corner and made swirls and twirls up the stairs. I don't recall the exclamation that came out of my mouth, but I'm sure it was louder than my normal voice. This sparked fear in Grace. I had her sit on the bottom of the stairs. All I had to do was look at her, and I could see remorse. This made it easy for me to spare her any more discipline. I was able to look at her sullen face and have a civil conversation with her on why she shouldn't do this again.
Even as adults, if we have a conscious we know when we have made a mistake. Our mistakes can be handled with a loving gift of grace and mercy, which will in turn allow us to reward another whom has made an error, with the same reciprocal gift. In turn, this doesn't disrupt the peace that God longs for us to experience. The gifts of grace and mercy come from a place of love. Love and peace go hand in hand.
We are called to love even those whom we do not see eye to eye with on a daily basis. We are called to do good to them. And we are called to lend to others without expecting anything back. This was a the great gift to me that I discovered this early on in life. If we follow this wisdom, we can avoid disappointment or sadness, if we do not receive what we want from someone we love or from someone in our lives who is an acquaintance.
What one person finds important and meaningful is not always the same as what the other person values and longs to give. This may not be their gift "love language." Sometimes, we must meet others exactly where they are, which is a way of loving unselfishly. Other times, we simply just need to love someone with no expectations.
Thankfully our God is merciful to all of those who love Him. We require so much mercy in this lifetime. Therefore, we are to give that same gift of mercy to others we love and walk alongside in this life.
Luke 6: 35- 36
“But love your enemies,
do good to them,
and lend to them without expecting
to get anything back.
Then your reward will be great,
and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the
ungrateful and wicked.
Be merciful, just as
your Father is merciful.”
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