In Matthew 5:7 it is quoted, “Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.” It is compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm. Mercy. We’ve all needed it. I remember as a young girl I was about to be disciplined by my father for acting out. Just as the discipline was coming down in the form of a belt, my brother stepped in and took the discipline for me. I’ll never forget the act of mercy Paul showed me that day and the relief of escaping the dreaded belt. Mercy isn’t always easy to come by, but we have been taught through the word of God that if we show mercy, we will obtain mercy. How many of you have escaped punishment for your wrong because someone was gracious enough to extend mercy to you?

To be truly merciful we must first see the misery through the eyes of Jesus Christ. We must see the drunk or the mental abuser from the lens of a past filled with hurt that may have provoked this lifestyle. Without this view of mercy of HIs mercy towards us, how can we extend mercy to others? Without first seeing the misery of someone and having compassion for them we cannot be the hands and feet of Jesus. We must be willing to look at others from God’s perspective. God provided the ultimate amount of mercy on the cross being sacrificed for the sins of the world. When we look through the lens of God’s loving compassion, we can see the hurting who need mercy in a whole different light.

There is a saying that says something like this, “never judge a person’s actions, or mood, we have no idea what they may be going through in their own life.” So many difficulties can be made more bearable when we don’t take offense to actions that are hurtful towards. Mercy offers forgiveness; it offers forgiveness by replacing hurt and resentment with compassion.

In dealing with the elephant in the room mercy will go a long way. So many are afraid to confront huge issues because of pride and how they may respond or what the response will be. Let mercy pour our of your heart and see the miraculous things that will happen because of it.

A lack of mercy and forgiveness keeps you from living out God’s divine and perfect plan for your life. Live in moments of extreme joy and peace when you learn to release bitterness, pride and anger. You can exchange it for a life of receiving and giving mercy.