Merciful

Sometimes God speaks to us through the words of others. That is what happened to me this morning.

I had just finished breakfast and pulled my laptop onto the kitchen table. I surfed on over to Lisa-Jo’s blog to see what the 5 minute Friday prompt was going to be for today.

The prompt is mercy. No. Not, that. The very emotions that I have been dealing with over the past couple of weeks, spilled out…all over the kitchen table. I do not want to discuss mercy! For a moment I considered skipping today’s 5 minutes.

Lisa-Jo had a guest writer for today. Her name is Alia, and these are her words that cut through me, exposing my inner thoughts.

“Mercy seemed weak somehow. It seemed to bypass judgement and somehow pardon things I thought needed a season of harvest. Harvesting from poor choices or sin. Harvesting with consequences and lessons learned. After all, you reap what’s been thrown to the wind without caution.” –Alia

That is so me. Sigh. I can be merciful when I want to be, but oh how I want consequences when I see the poor judgement of others. It only seems fair, right?

And my heart hardens against mercy.

I am so very thankful that God is just, but also merciful. That He extends mercy to me, even when it is so undeserved.

I’m working on mercy and forgiveness. I’ll be honest, it has been and continues to be a struggle for me.

I continue on…and God continues in His love for me.

He skillfully works on me, shaping me into the image of His Son.

Sometimes the work hurts.

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Luke 6:36 Be you therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.