Mercy

"We hand folks over to God's mercy, and show none ourselves." - George Eliot [Marian Evans Cross]

Mercy is the act of withholding a punishment that is rightfully due. We tend toward justice in our responses to transgressions. Justice is a virtue to be sure, and I'll write on that one in the weeks to come, but the greatest leaders, parents, and mentors exercise equal parts justice and mercy. The heavy hand of justice without mercy is absolute hell to live under. On the other end of the spectrum, Edward Young once said, "A God all mercy is a God unjust." We need both justice and mercy in order to understand and appreciate the value and importance of both.

I recently read an account of a modern day prodigal who had taken all that he had, left home, and blew it all on drugs, alcohol, and rebelliousness. One day he came to his senses and called his dad from a pay phone to ask if he could come home and start over. What would you expect the dad to say?

What the dad actually said was, "Come home and know that nothing you have done will ever be mentioned here again." That's what mercy looks like. It sure would be nice to see more.

"Blessed are the merciful, because they will be shown mercy." - Matthew 5:7

"Be merciful, just as your father also is merciful." - Luke 6:36