Blessed are the Merciful

Are you in a situation where someone has done you wrong? Have they wronged you multiple times? How are you handling it? I pray that you have the grace to show them mercy? I know that is not always an easy thing to do. When we have been harmed by a person’s actions, it’s natural to want to lash out at them or have them pay us back for what they may have taken.  It is reasonable for a person to be held accountable to make things right. The challenge is when the debt is so great that it puts an impossible burden on the person to pay back all that is due.

Have you ever had such a heavy debt to pay that you didn’t know what to do? Do you remember the stress you were under? If you were relieved of your debt, do you remember how that felt and how you were changed? If so, you understand the idiom, “I have a new lease on life.”

A new lease on life means a fresh start; renewed vigor and good health. [What a wonderful feeling.] Many times you were at the end of your rope when you received mercy. Forgiveness can be transformative. When we have had that type of experience, we often say, “I won’t let that happen again.”

When we forgive someone through the grace of God, we can believe that His transformative power is released into their life and they can become better than what they were before. We can believe that they will learn from their mistakes. In some situations, a person’s actions are a part of a well established habit and may take multiple times to unlearn. Sometimes I wonder if that is why Jesus told Peter that he should forgive not only once or even seven times but seventy times seven. Now that takes some serious grace but when you are the recipient of this level of mercy then you understand that someone loves you and wants you to succeed even at their expense.

I’m thankful for God’s grace and mercy in my life. Both the one forgiven and the one doing the forgiving demonstrate God’s love. He loves me enough to forgive me but He also loves me enough to let me see the potential in someone that seems to be unlovely.

Mercy says, “You have messed things up but I can see potential in you and don’t want to stand in the way of God. Therefore, I forgive you.”

Jesus taught us that blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.

May grace and mercy reign in your life.