“A sudden
understanding, a pity mixed with horror, welled up in Bilbo’s heart: a glimpse
of endless unmarked days without light or hope of betterment, hard stone, cold
sigh, sneaking and whispering. All these thoughts passed in the flash of a
second. He trembled. And then quite suddenly in another flash, as if lifted by
a new strength and resolve, he leaped.”
We need to be clear that at this moment Bilbo has Gollum at
his mercy even though Gollum is unaware of it.
Perhaps there is little that reveals our hearts more than how we act
when we have power over others and no one else sees it. A person is at our mercy and has no idea that
it is true.
Had Bilbo ended Gollum here other elements of the story
would have unfolded much differently. The
reward for his mercy, however, is that he hears Gollum proclaim that Baggins is
a thief and will be hated forever. Bilbo
will never again encounter Gollum but his part in the story is not
finished. Had Bilbo not shown mercy to
the creature who wanted to kill him the story would not hold all the richness
it does.
Mercy is often rewarded with further hurt to the merciful. This is just the simple truth. It is not our nature to see mercy as the
opportunity that it is. Rare is the
individual who is deeply moved by mercy to the point that it changes him or her
permanently. Still, it should move
us.
We have been shown so much mercy by the Father that we need
to replicate it whenever justly possible.
I have adopted the response that reflects my desire to remember that all
that I have is due to God’s mercy. When
someone asks how I am I have a simple response: “Better than I deserve.” It reminds me that I live under the grace and
mercy of God at every moment.
All that I have is a blessing from God. All good things that I get are because of his
grace. Every time I do not get the bad
things I deserve, it is his mercy. I, in
turn, must show that same mercy whenever possible out of love and
gratitude. Failing to do this means that
I do not understand the level to which I need mercy. It is one of the places where there is a reciprocal
promise from God.
Jesus says clearly, “Blessed are the merciful for they shall
be shown mercy.” It is in this promise
that we find the value of mercy outside of doing things for the sake of
love. It is our need for mercy that can
drive us to be merciful until we learn to do it for the sake of love.
Bilbo receives great mercy that flows from his merciful
act. He is never really controlled by
the One Ring. He enjoys the benefits of
the ring without being subject to its curses.
That can only be credited to the power beyond the ring showing the noble
Hobbit mercy because of the mercy he shows to the ignoble Gollum.
Mercy becomes a great weapon and protection when wielded out
of love. It is a way to demonstrate our
love and vulnerability. This can disarm
our enemies and at the same time offer us further protection. When we lovingly show mercy to those who deserve
worse from us when open the ground for the Father to be more merciful to
us.
In the world through which we travel Dear Reader, we are
daily in need of renewed mercy. We will
also have to have to show and renew mercy every day of the journey. Even those who love us will repeat the same
offenses day after day in some instances.
It is our obligation and benefit to be merciful whenever possible.
It is in this merciful state that we can move forward with
less burden and more grace. We will have
others at our mercy Dear Reader. Let us
remember that it is never wasted when we show mercy even when we know that the
recipient will only betray us again. Let
us agree to show others mercy at its finest when they deserve it the least.
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every
writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a
homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure
store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Contacts for Aramis
Thorn:
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