Mercy

I had posted earlier that the idea of mercy has been a constant theme in my life recently. It continues to be such. I’m sure this is due in great part to the fact that my church group is studying a book called, “Ministries of Mercy,” by Tim Keller. In addition, I visited an orphanage in Uganda named Mercy Home for Children, which left a strong impression on me. But I am not the only one thinking about mercy these days. My good friend Andrea has posted about the subject on her blog. She mentioned to me today that many times we think about giving mercy but don’t realize we need mercy ourselves.

This is so true! I think it is especially difficult for those of us without a radical conversion experience, who don’t see a huge difference in ourselves before and after salvation. I used to be ones of those who didn’t really see a big need for mercy in my life: “I'm a good person and am self-sufficient. Mercy is for the needy and I’m doing okay on my own. Sure, I'll help others, but I don't really need them to help me. Besides, I wouldn't want to put anyone out.”

But God has been working on me. I am sad that it took some extreme measures to rid me of things keeping me from a closer relationship with God and an understanding of my need for His mercy. Lots of people would look at my life and say how much I’ve lost – my marriage, my house, my dog, my health (it sounds like a bluegrass song!). But focusing on those losses is looking at life with the eyes of the flesh. I am thankful to say that God has used those human losses to help me lose some sinful things as well:
• Pride in my “good works”
• My plans for the future
• A sense of self-worth based on what others think about me, rather that what God says I am
• Relying on self-sufficiency rather than God’s provision
• Placing romantic love above God’s love in importance
Please don’t misunderstand me. I wholeheartedly claim Phil. 3:12-14: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

God has been so merciful to me! He has opened my eyes to my need for Him and helped me to recognize that without Him I am nothing and can do nothing. He has shown me that He is the best Love I could ever find and He loves me unconditionally, faithfully, unendingly. He has allowed me to grow closer to Him through sharing in His suffering, even if my suffering is only the tiniest bit compared to His. He took away my judgmental spirit by allowing me to see how easily temptation can overtake us, even with the best of intentions. He has given me a heart for helping others and a life story that some can relate to.

I choose to follow the words of Isaiah: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland” (Is. 43:18-19).

God has given me so much and yet it is not mine to keep. I am a steward for Him; someone He has chosen to be a generous distributor of His resources. I can be merciful because He was first merciful to me. And just the fact that He has allowed me to recognize His mercy is, in itself, mercy.