Be Merciful

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” ~ Luke 6:36

Jerky people; they’re all around us and sometimes they can be very hurtful.  Just once I would like permission to hold a grudge, keep them in the “unforgiven” lane and be righteous in doing so.  But I can’t.  I have acknowledged and proclaimed that I am a follower of Jesus.  Gulp.  Showing forgiveness and mercy are just a couple of the characteristics that I am called to exemplify.  Rats.  Another big gulp.  My family, my friends and my coworkers deserve mercy, but those who oppose me who don’t really even know me; really?  Well, Jesus showed me mercy when He didn’t even yet know I would follow, or accept Him.  He has shown me more mercy than I deserve and so if I am eager to accept it, I better be eager to give it as His follower.  I know this is not easy and I’m not saying it will ever be easy.  I get it.  I have been lied about, slandered, backstabbed and emotionally beaten.  I have been hurt and overwhelmed by such anger and rage that I literally could not see; I was seeing spots.  The only thing I knew to say was Jesus’ name over and over again in my mind and sometimes out loud because I couldn’t find any other words to pray.  Eventually I got to words, scream like prayers to Him in my car, weeping prayers at night and silent prayers during the day.  Months into my healing, during quiet time, I heard, “Just forgive.  They don’t know me.  They are lost.  Give me the bitterness and show them mercy when they come back around.  Let me do my work.”  That day I made a decision to forgive them.  They know the door is open and if they ever come back into my life, I will be ready.  We must be merciful.  Not everyone knows Him.  We must be merciful because He was merciful first.  He was merciful with me.  I need to be merciful with them.  I will be merciful and respect their space and I will be merciful by letting the grudge go and in truth, I will be merciful to myself by letting the bitterness and hurt go. ~ Amen