If mercy is for any,

it has to be for all.

The poor and sick are human,

just like the cruel and ruthless.

If our love can’t embrace the truth about hard hearts,

it’s not soft enough yet.

Without mercy,

justice will turn us into stone, too.

Wouldn’t life be easier if everyone was kind, gentle and Christ-like? We could let our guards down and walk around feeling safe, relaxed and open to possibilities, knowing everyone has our best interests at heart. Without stressing about difficult people, we’d all naturally be energized, supportive and generous towards each other. We’d feel appreciated for our gifts and grateful for each others’, joyfully working together to solve the world’s problems.

If we were continually treated with love and respect, I think we’d all be less hurt and less tempted to be difficult ourselves.

While being crucified, Jesus, who (unlike the rest of us) never fell into temptation to hurt others said “Forgive them Father, they know not what they do.”  This isn’t just a God thing that He did on earth to razzle dazzle us – Jesus directly asked us all to adopt this attitude of radical mercy and forgiveness toward people who hurt us “not just seven times but seventy seven times.”

For me, it’s easy to see Christ in the least of us when I define the least as starving children, refugees and innocent victims of crime. But I struggle more to see Christ in the hateful, the mean spirited, the backbiting and the selfish people in my life.

Even though I realize I’m far from perfect too and the harshest people in my life are deeply wounded themselves and probably acting from that unconscious place Jesus mentioned on the cross, not fully realizing the effects of their actions-I still struggle to forgive and show mercy in my humanity.

But as hard as mercy is to live, I think it’s a goal worth striving for. Today, let’s try to be a little more compassionate, loving and understanding toward ourselves and the difficult people in our lives. Having an open heart is a simple goal that’s hard to achieve but definitely worth striving for, especially for those of us who truly want to live our faith.

God, forgive us for all the ways we hurt each other. Give us the grace to clearly see our flaws and weaknesses, so we can realize how much we rely on Your mercy and extend Your mercy to others. Help us to realize the advantages we’ve been given in life, so we can be more understanding of those, who have not had those same advantages even when they are more cruel than we can even fathom being. Help us to understand, love, forgive and show the perfect combination of mercy and justice like you do. In Jesus name we pray, Amen. 

How are you doing with forgiveness and keeping your heart open through the trials of life? Comment below, and I will be happy to provide encouragement and keep you in my prayers. Mercy is hard! We need to support each other. 

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