Mercy is one of those words we bandy about so freely in Christian culture, it becomes almost invisible. I gained a fresh appreciation of its richness when I looked it up in the dictionary before writing this post:
Mercy:
1. Kind or compassionate treatment of an offender, adversary, prisoner etc. in one’s power; compassion where severity is expected or deserved.
2. A disposition to be kind, forgiving, or helpful.
3. A thing to be thankful for.Mercy comes from compassion, kindness or other ennobling sentiments.
Opposites of mercy are harshness, severity, implacability, punishment, chastisement, vengeance. – Funk and Wagnalls Dictionary
It’s what God had for us when He sent Jesus and had Him take the penalty our sins deserved. It’s what I’m supposed to extend to others. And there’s the rub. For like so many Christian qualities, showing mercy is counter-intuitive. It goes against every atom of fairness to let the person who hurt me get off free. Look at how the crowds clamber for justice when a policeman has shot someone in the line of duty. Suggest mercy to that crowd and you’re likely to start a riot. It’s in me and all of us to want to get even, to make things right with our own style of justice.
I was pondering why we, or at least I, find that giving mercy is hard. I think it has something to do with feeling that I’m giving up control. When Christians extend mercy, we give up control to God. We’re saying with our actions that we believe He has the situation in hand and will sort it all out fairly in the end, better than our scolding, punishment, or tit for tat ever could.
The Bible story that illustrates this beautifully is David’s behaviour when his father-in-law and deadly enemy King Saul is hunting him. One day David finds himself in the cave with Saul. His men tell him, This is your chance. Take matters into your own hands and kill him.
He resists them, and instead, just cuts a piece off Saul’s robe to prove how close he was. Later even that seems to bother him. 1 Samuel 24:1-12 where this story is told, ends with these telling words from David to Saul: “Let the Lord judge between you and me, and let the Lord avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you” (emphasis added).
The challenge for me is to get to the place where extending mercy becomes my default position. I want it to be in my DNA.
“I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food” – Job 23:12 (Photo of kale from Pixabay.com)
In the DNA
We bite into apples
bread, cake, meat
taste, chew, swallow.
They disappear, digested
become absorbed into muscle, bone
fingers, toes, skin, lashes
brain cells, our very DNA.
We bite off Your word
Blessed are the merciful …
Be reconciled to your brother …
Forgive up to seventy times seven …
meditate on these things
swallow them into the busyness of our days
Now that they’ve been ingested
are they being digested
becoming the muscle, bone, skin
of loving acts, kind words, patience
mercy, forgiveness
altering our very DNA?
© 2015 by Violet Nesdoly (All rights reserved)
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This post is linked to Spiritual Journey Thursday, hosted by Holly Mueller at Reading, Teaching, Learning. Today the theme is MERCY.
Violet Nesdoly / poems 
Bobbie Taylor
October 8, 2015 at 8:23 am
What a challenging and comforting idea that Mercy, through feasting and feeding on God’s Word, can become incorporated into our DNA! …In thinking of Shakespeare’s opening words: “The quality of mercy is not strained,” BEFORE reading your post, I was thinking that although the quality of mercy is not strained, the quality of relationships is strained without mercy. Then, I read your post, and I thought, No wonder this Mercy business is so rough! …Relationships strained without mercy, such a simple fix, I thought, previously, just apply mercy., But NO! you sadly reminded me that mercy itself can strain relationships. Imagine! …Maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised, after all. God offers mercy and how many relationships are shattered when one partner accepts and the other one resents and doesn’t. …Guess we can only be grateful, accept mercy, and offer it–regardless of its reception. Tough stuff. If only we were DNA-programmed, as you said, not to want revenge–our brand of justice…Thanks for antidote. God bless! As always, an inspirational post.
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Violet Nesdoly
October 8, 2015 at 9:21 am
Thanks, Bobbie!
I love what you say here: “Guess we can only be grateful, accept mercy, and offer it–regardless of its reception. ”
Indeed, we have no control over whether others accept or refuse our mercy. When I keep the thought that by showing mercy I’m transferring my problem onto God instead of taking the responsibility for righting it on myself, showing mercy becomes not only a fulfillment of duty but an expression of trust.
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Wendy L. Macdonald
October 8, 2015 at 8:42 am
Lovely and thoughtful post, Violet. We need to remember we were shown mercy show we would show mercy to others.
Blessings ~ Wendy
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Violet Nesdoly
October 8, 2015 at 10:28 am
Thank you so much, Wendy. You’ve definitely identified the thought progression–remember the mercy we’ve been shown, and then pass it on to others. I’m afraid too often I don’t make the connection. I’m like the man in Jesus’ story who was forgiven much, and then turned around and tried to force payment from the one who owed him.
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Wendy L. Macdonald
October 8, 2015 at 10:46 am
Violet, I’m getting lots of practice at falling short and rising to the occasion as I share a home with three lovely, lively, and healthy teenagers. 🙂 God is good even when I’m not.
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Holly Mueller (@MuellerHolly)
October 8, 2015 at 9:56 am
I’m stunned by your poem – what perfect imagery. I want God’s Word to become part of my DNA so that mercy and forgiveness abound!
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Violet Nesdoly
October 8, 2015 at 10:29 am
Thank you, Holly! If only getting Jesus’ life in us were as (seemingly) effortless as digesting food. 😉
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Tabatha
October 8, 2015 at 1:19 pm
A lovely train-of-thought, Violet. Mercy and kindness don’t come up in public discourse half so much as judgement and punishment.
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margaretsmn
October 8, 2015 at 4:34 pm
If we truly digest the word of God, mercy would come naturally, like breathing…or laughing. Unfortunately life is so much more complicated. Mercy could mean you destroy yourself in the process. Whoa, heavy and tough stuff.
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