Ripples: Mercy

Mercy

 

Have you ever noticed that hospitals are named "Mercy?"  Or the famous southern saying, "Lord, have mercy!"  What is mercy?  What do we do with this concept and how does it change our perception?

 

On Sunday, we explored the concept of mercy and how we not only receive it but also grant it.  If Jesus introduces the Kingdom of God into our world, how is mercy relevant to our world today?  How does this concept of mercy impact us, the followers, in a transformational way?

 

We would enjoy hearing your thoughts about mercy.  Perhaps a story, a definition, or whatever is on your mind about mercy.  Type away!

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Steve Figuieras on Sep 7, 2010 7:24pm

I believe no matter how old the situation is coming to grips with taking care of some unfinished personal business is best handled at a time that feels right and right now feels right to me. This word mercy is still confusing to me. Is it like forgivness?

Leonard Ortiz on Sep 7, 2010 8:57pm

I thought I would share a story with you that at least in human terms goes beyond mercy. I have a very large family on my mother's side. There are great uncles, aunts, grand parents, grandkids, great great grandkids, and countless cousins. There is one family in all of this, the Gonzalez family who is admired. They have always been known as the strong Christian family, humble, giving and gentle. While there were at times family feuds, no one was ever angry at the Gonzalez family. My Uncle and Aunt were always involved at church as were their four kids. They were respected and admired as they were never judgemental but always showed warmth and love.

There oldest son, my cousin Hector, was about two years younger than me. He was alot like his father, committed to the church, gentle and loving. He never was mischievious like the rest of the cousins. At one point in his adult life he was married and divorced and a son was a product of the marriage. As time passed he became a single dad devoted to both his son and his church. He didn't earn alot of money. He worked for the TSA at the San Jose International Airport.

There was a time when a co-worker asked Hector if he could cover a graveyard shift for him and Hector agreed. He had a beat up old car because as I said he didn't have alot of money and was more interested in being with his son and serving his church. While driving to work at about one o'clock in the morning his car broke down but Hector managed to get the car off the freeway. He called for a tow and waited. As the tow truck headed towards Hector's broken down vehicle a car sped by the tow truck swerving recklessly in and out of traffic. A few seconds later the car slammed into my cousin's car and Hector died a few hours later. The driver was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and other charges related to vehicular homicide.
I flew to California for the service and it was overwhelming. The service was held in a large church and it was packed to the rafters and overflowed in the aisles to outside the church. So many people shared how Hector touched their lives. Children, teenagers, the elderly, Hector served Jesus well and many songs were sung that honored Jesus and Hector.
It was painful to watch the agony in my uncle and aunt's faces as their son's casket was lowered into the ground. Some time had passed after my uncle and aunt burried their son and they decided to visit this young man in jail. Because of what had happened he had disgraced his family and his family disowned him. As my aunt and uncle met him they told him that as Christians they were called to forgive and that is what they did, they forgave him for killing their son. They handed him a Bible and asked the young man to look it over. In the weeks that followed they began visiting him in jail and studied the Bible with him. At some point the young man broke down and accepeted Jesus and my uncle and aunt comforted him.
The man was found guilty and the time came for him to be sentenced. My uncle and aunt went to the hearing and asked the judge to show mercy on the young man. They told the judge that he showed remorse and had repented and accepted Jesus as his Lord. Finally my uncle stood up in the court room and said, "If it took the death of my son to bring this man to Jesus than it was worth it."

To me this is the ultimate act of mercy because it is exactly what God did when his son was killed so that it might bring us to Him.

Sherri Millsap on Sep 8, 2010 7:38am

Having received mercy from our Heavenly Father, we open ourselves up to pass it on without prejudice, without judgment to others. By doing so, I believe God can then bless us with experiences and relationships that can transform. We become His instruments and in turn glorify His name.

Sharon Morrow on Sep 8, 2010 9:22pm

I very much appreciate reading what Leonard shared--it was such a moving story. I just wanted to say that to me, mercy is a gift that God gives to me when I ask to be forgiven of a sin. So it is linked with forgiveness, but is not exactly the same thing. Also, please do not confuse mercy with salvation: God gives the gift of salvation when someone accepts Jesus Christ as Savior, And God is showing mercy on that individual when He does so. In human terms, we show mercy when we forgive another person of doing something wrong, like when a child breaks a piece of china and a parent says, "That's all right, it was just a dish" instead of punishing the child for his/her mistake. I agree with Sherri, too. I think that part of our calling as Christians is to love others without passing judgment and to give mercy. Otherwise, we are not truly following Christ.