Greetings Dear Reader,
When my sons were wee lads, they knew when they had done
wrong. They knew also that there were
consequences for doing wrong intentionally.
Sometimes, however, I wanted them to learn about mercy. We would discuss why what they had chosen was
wrong. Once I was clear that the one
committing the infraction understood why what was done was wrong, I would
explain that I wanted him to understand about mercy as well.
I would explicate that this time there would be no
consequences for the infraction. I would
explain that it is as important to understand mercy as it is justice. My eldest Son caught on quickly. He evidenced it through the kindness he would
show to others when they did not deserve it.
My younger Son got it as well. He
also thought that he could use it to his advantage.
One early Saturday morning when was I writing, Bezel, my
younger Son came into my office looking very nervous. He asked me if I was busy and I responded
that I was not too busy for him. He came
over and gave me a big hug. I asked what
was the matter. He responded in his most
adult four-year-old tone, “Papa, I think that today I need to learn about
mercy.”
It took all I had to not laugh immediately. I asked about what I needed to be
merciful. He told me that he had eaten
the blueberries that I was going to use for breakfast. I was moved with great compassion as my boy
put his hope in my hands that there was forgiveness and mercy for his wrong of
taking what he was told not to take. In
his defense, blueberries are one of his favorite foods of all the foods that
are food.
I could tell that he needed to be heard and we had a good
talk about how it hurt the whole family that he took something that was meant
for everyone. He did receive mercy and
we took a one on one trip to the store to get more blueberries for
breakfast. Mercy may be one of the best
uses of power there is.
Mercy is that reverse of the coin of grace. Since grace is receiving something we do not deserve,
mercy is not receiving something that we do deserve. Whether we admit it or not, we are at the
mercy of the Father constantly. We do
not merit grace and it is in his mercy that we are given it. Mercy is what gives us a path to reconciliation,
reclamation, and redemption.
It takes humility to choose mercy. It takes sacrifice. We do not deserve any good thing from God but
he shows us mercy all the time. He makes
a path for us to follow. The path to
mercy is blazoned with God’s own blood.
It is easy to find and hard to follow.
He gives us mercy and asks us in return to be merciful to others. Therein, Dear Reader is the great challenge.
There are people in our lives who have wronged us
deeply. They may be friends, family,
parents, or children. It is common in
the current culture to cut them off and disavow them. It is encouraged that we label people as
toxic and remove them from our lives. We
do this, claiming still to love them. We
may be completely right in our assessment of the character and actions of the
other person. We still have an
obligation to mercy.
When someone has wronged us over and over, we have great
power. Even if they do not see the wrong
they do, we are commanded to love them.
We are required to be merciful.
We must set clear boundaries that protect us from enabling the wrong
people commit. We must also always
provide a path to reconciliation. The absolute expression of love for someone
who is consistently, undeniably wronging us is to find ways to show love and
mercy with faith and humility.
That person that we have cut off may not deserve our mercy
and kindness. He or she may deserve to
never again feel the genuine love we carry in our hearts. Instead of measuring by that standard, Dear
Reader, I must measure by the standard of the great mercy I need for the wrongs
I have done. My love and mercy must be
expressed out of recognition of my debt, not my power. Only then can I use the power I hold. Only then may I employ deft strokes of
retribution for the wrongs done to me. Strokes
of retribution must be acts of love, fueled by mercy, dealing out grace.
I said all that to say this: At that intersection Dear
Reader, where love is trafficked through the joining of grace and mercy is
where real healing can begin. It is
where we find power and strength to continue.
It is where we begin to rise above the mire of the wrongs we commit
against each other and begin to get a glimmer of what we can be if we choose
grace and mercy as a way of life. The
path is clearer and easier if we carry these things in our heart. I have plenty for you and could use all you
can spare. Oh, and because we get our
grace and mercy freely from the Father, we never run out.
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:
Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com
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