Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.  Matthew 5:7

Could the takeaway message from God’s heart be this?  “The one who lives like Me will experience Me.”  I believe this is one of them.  God’s favor will be on the one whose heart is like His.  But there are some other applications as well. 

Consider this common scenario. A parent who raised their children in a harsh, unkind environment reaches the end of their life. When they are weak and need compassion, their adult children aren’t there for them. From a human perspective, why would they be? 

I recall an older movie where a mother in her 90s asked her son (who seemed to have no heart for her), “Who taught you to treat others with such cruelty?” Her son responded without emotion, “You did, Mama. You did!”  I think there is a well-known saying ~ ‘Show others how you wish to be treated.’

Even though I possess the spiritual gift of mercy, I need the Holy Spirit’s help every day to use it properly. Without Him, I might only want to reach out to those I believe deserve it, such as those who have suffered at the hands of others or those who have led a good life but have fallen on hard times. I might lack mercy for someone who has reaped a lifetime of sin. And what about someone who has committed a heinous crime? How much mercy will there be then? 

Mercy is something we ache for but also something we must give.  We cannot offer it as God gives it without the Holy Spirit’s help and power.  Only then will we feel what others feel.  Only then will we see behind someone’s behavior.  He will help us become more intuitive in recognizing the pain behind someone’s harsh words, controlling behavior, or punishing silence.  Something softer can arise in us to understand and offer healing instead of judgment.  This is the shape of mercy.  It’s love when it costs us.  

When it’s risky to show mercy, help me.  And show me when I need to extend mercy to myself.  Amen