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by Rhonda RheaI don’t have the spiritual gift of mercy. After a couple of minutes of comforting one of my children after a boo-boo, I have to fight off the strong urge to say something like, “Look, there’s no bone protruding through the skin. Unless this thing needs a tourniquet it’s time to get over it and move on.”
While mercy is not among my spiritual gifts, one look at my husband will tell you that he’s oozing with the stuff. My kids take the long way around my side of the bed when they’re sick to get to his side. Then they say something like, “Dad, I think I’m going to....” No need to explain how that scenario ends, right?
In the middle of one night as we were changing the sheets on our bed, my husband cracked a smile and said, “You can tell by the mattress who has the gift of mercy in this house.” He can be especially witty at 3:00 a.m. I answered, “Hey, I may not have the gift of mercy, but I don’t think I’ll be losing much sleep over it--over here on my nice clean side of the bed.”
My natural tendency is to excuse any lack of compassion I may notice in myself because “that’s just not my gift.” But I’ve also noticed that God’s Word gives me a different message about mercy, and that even those of us who aren’t specifically gifted in mercy are still called to be merciful. Luke 6:36 says, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
I’m instructed to have the same kind of mercy as the Father. According to Micah 7:18, he delights in showing mercy. Micah 6:8 sums up my life instructions: “And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Not just show mercy, love mercy.
And did you notice that mercy made it to the Top 9 list of “blesseds” in Matthew 5? There is great blessing in showing mercy. Verse 7 says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”
If I try motherhood with a completely empty mercy bank, at the very least it can result in some pretty meager loving. But God is rich in mercy. I can go to his throne and boldly ask, then make a mercy withdrawal from his account. The amazing thing is that even after my withdrawal, he has no less mercy. He stays forever mercy-wealthy! And mercy, grace and love are a bit of a package deal, so I can walk away with the whole parcel. It happens as I fully trust in his ability to make me the merciful person he wants me to be.
James 3:17 tells me it’s wise to be merciful. As a matter of fact, it says that wisdom is “full of mercy.” That’s the kind of mercy I want to show. Not half-mercy. Full. Even in a non-tourniquet situation.
~ Rhonda Rhea writes award-winning inspirational humor columns for other Christian publications in the U.S. and Canada. Look for her new book, Amusing Grace, at your local Christian bookstore. Click here to see her website.
