Mercy, Always

Never be afraid to show mercy,
for if God gives it freely to me
then I can show it to others
without reserve.

Sometimes I don't know how to respond verbally or in the moment to something that frustrates me, so I write about it in my journal and come up with words that may or may not be encouraging later. Then I ponder and muse upon the situation and let my thoughts meander in my journal for awhile. The freedom in my writing is such that I don't have to fret about offending anyone because the pages in my journal won't see the light of day.

There are days when I try to understand some people and cannot. When I think about the way they act and the choices they make I get so frustrated. And yet I know it's not my place to dwell in that and wish change upon someone. For I cannot change anyone and why would I? I have no authority.

However --
It's my place to show mercy.

No matter what wrong has been done to me, or to someone else close to me, I am to look to how Jesus would react. He would show mercy.

I know this.
I also know that even more than showing mercy we are supposed to pray for our enemies. How many of us do this? We don't even pray for our friends! My heart is impacted by this because mercy is not always my first response. But it should be.

So I am reminding myself to not be afraid to show mercy. There should be no fear in mercy, or it is not mercy. It is a way of trusting God to take care of matters. It is what Jesus did and continues to do.