Let Mercy Lead

“…not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of his mercy, he saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the holy Spirit…” Titus 3: 5

I think that when we ponder God’s mercy we think to ourselves, “I don’t deserve this”. But isn’t that kind of the point? I mean, if we deserved it, then it wouldn’t be mercy, right? By its very nature mercy implies that the person receiving it did not earn it, nor deserve it. This is hard for us to comprehend sometimes because as humans we have a hard time being truly merciful to others. We tend to forgive or say we’ll let things go, but normally only with conditions. This is why the mercy of God seems like such lunacy.

But think about a little baby: pure, innocent, not even able to care for themselves, let alone choose to sin. And yet because of Original Sin and our fallen nature, they come into the world tainted, dipped into this pool of humanity that God created good, but since has become broken through the sins of our original parents and then down through the ages even to our own day and age through our own sins. But yet, in His mercy, through the sacrament of Baptism, these tiny babies are born anew and given new life through the mercy of those holy waters.

And even as they grow and reach the age of reason and can be culpable for the sins they choose to commit, our Lord will continue to offer them his mercy and His love, even when they don’t deserve it. God’s mercy does not just offer forgiveness, but it offers redemption and re-creation. Always bringing us back to what we were intended to be from the beginning.

Has anyone hurt you lately? Maybe someone at school? Maybe a parent or a sibling? Offering mercy to this person may seem crazy. It may feel like the last thing you should do. But when we remember that God keeps offering us His mercy time and time again, perhaps, just maybe, we can begin to let go of the hate and hurt and desire for revenge that resides in our own hearts and begin to seek His mercy not only for ourselves, but for others as well.

Dear Jesus, please help me to ask for Your mercy and to offer it to others each day, especially to those who have hurt me. Amen.