#LightTheWorld #day15 Merciful/Mercy: "The spirit of compassion, tenderness, and forgiveness. Mercy is one of the attributes of God. Jesus Christ offers mercy to us through His atoning sacrifice." (Guide to the Scriptures)
I have to confess something about myself. For years I was very cruel, unforgiving, talked badly about, and behaved shamefully towards someone. There was no mercy given to them for small mistakes, or unintended hurts, or anything that was less than perfect. I was unaware of this behavior until I was ready to hear the truth about how I was treating them. I didn't recognize the need for change until I learned that, honestly, I would never ever treat anyone else so deplorably. The person I was so cruel to was myself.
In that moment of understanding I wanted to change, to truly repent of how cruel to myself I had been, for pretty much all my life. I needed clear understanding and knowledge about the commandment, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" (Mark 12:31,33). And the application of the teaching, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (Matthew 5:7; 3 Nephi 12:7).
As I have been more compassionate and forgiving of myself, I have been able to be even moreso to others. It feels so good to truly love and not feel the need to "compete". I continue to work on this, to repent daily- which really means to turn towards God. I love that "...mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles [me] in the arms of safety... [as I] have faith unto repentance" (Alma 34:16).
If there was one thing I could tell you today it is that God is a just God and a merciful God. He wants the very best for you. He would tell you: "Be kind to yourself. Forgive yourself. Love yourself as I do." Because when we do offer ourselves these gifts of mercy, love, and compassion; they are easier to give them to others. And we all need mercy. That is one of the gifts Jesus offers us every day as we turn our hearts to Him. This I testify.
God is merciful and just.
God wants us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Offering mercy to ourselves and others goes a long way!
I am so grateful for this passage of scripture. When I actually "put on" these characteristics, I am changed.
"Put on therefore...bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
...And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful."
(Colossians 3:12, 14-15)
I like to think of dressing or that I "put on" these qualities like clothes. I have a closet full of these "clothes". When I choose to wear mercy, kindness, or most of all charity, I am changed and I feel so beautiful (but not in a proud way) and truly at peace.
If I have a favorite wardrobe, this is the one that I hope to wear the most often; it is always in fashion and never wears out
The most important clothes I can "put on" are the qualities of Christ. What am I wearing today?
With all the negative news about the various injustices in the world these days, it has given me great pause to ponder this sad (understatement) state of affairs. I do not wish to make things worse, rather my desire is to suggest a solution to all these problems that seem to permeate our system, not only in the United States, but throughout the world. I am not a naive person who has only lived a life of bliss, but I don't feel I need to share all my "dark secrets" to validate that I have had my share of unfair/unjust experiences. From my own experiences I have learned there is only one solution to all the ills that plague the world. It is simple. It is to receive Christ, for He is the Gift.
Receiving gifts can be hard if we don't think they are going to be of any value to us, don't know how they work, or require a lot of effort to assemble or even think we have no need for them. The Gift of Christ makes all the difference. It has a "more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which [has] happened to us" (Alma 31:5). I know when I have been wounded by another I have sought and thought about seeking justice. "In scriptural terms, justice is the unchanging law that brings consequences for actions. Because of the law of justice, we receive blessings when we obey God's commandments. The law of justice also demands that a penalty be paid for every sin we commit" (Justice). Sometimes, when the laws of the land don't seem to satisfy the demands of justice we think we have a right to respond in anger and take matters into our own hands. In doing so we are no better than those who have sinned against us.
The powerful part of the Gift is that if I extend mercy, I don't need to fear that justice will not be served. "What, do ye suppose that mercy can rob justice? I say unto you, Nay; not one whit. If so, God would cease to be God" (Alma 42:25). Paul says, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Galatians 6:7). When we have lost something or someone we love and cherish, or have been deeply wounded which may seem to be unrepairable, it is hard to remember that God is a just God and we can 100% trust that all will be taken care of. Notice, I said all, not just the small things we seem to manage on our own, but all things.
When we receive a gift and we really appreciate it, we use it. The beauty of the gift of Christ is that we don't have to worry about justice, rather we can spend our energy receiving and extending mercy. "Mercy is the compassionate treatment of a person greater than what is deserved, and it is made possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ" (Mercy). The beauty of giving mercy is that we may also receive it in kind: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (Matthew 5:7), and we all need mercy. The world would have us seek justice, but the Lord teaches us to extend mercy, "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful" (Luke 6:36). Applying or extending mercy when it is justified by the world to turn your back, hurt, retaliate, or respond in kind or worse, is only made possible through the Atonement and is applying the gift of Christ. Christ wants more for us than justification. He wants us to be sanctified through His healing power, grace, and His sacrifice, even the Atonement (see sanctification; Moses 6:59-60).
I have experienced the need to extend mercy when retribution or retaliation was justified. It was not easy, but it was, and still is worth every effort to be merciful. As we become good receivers we make it possible to use this gift of healing from Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, on a daily basis. This Gift will heal the world. This I testify.
Here is a short video for your enjoyment: He is The Gift
Bonus thoughts and links:
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: "A basic principle of Latter-day Saint doctrine is that we have to know that God is just in order to go forward. One of God's attributes is justice, and we would not have the faith- because of fear- to live righteously or to love better or to repent more readily if somehow we didn't think that justice would count for us, if somehow we thought God would change His mind and decide there was another set of rules. Because we know that God if just and would cease to be God if He weren't so, we have the faith to go forward, knowing that we will not be the victims of whimsy or caprice or a bad day or a bad joke. That assurance is very encouraging." (The Justice and Mercy of God). Elder Dallin H. Oaks: He Heals the Heavy Laden
I have been thinking a lot about mercy lately. I made a choice as a mother to behave like a mother and corrected some teenager's behavior and they didn't like it. They threw me under the bus, so to speak, and have they caused me some grief for telling them to behave as they know they should. Without going into too many details, I will just say it has been a difficult week. But justice certainly isn't being done. Not for me, not for the kids, not for anyone. Justice seems to rule supreme in our society where one can "get even", and an "eye for an eye" (see Leviticus 4:20; 3 Nephi 12:38; Matthew 5:38-42) has turned into four eyes for one eye and you definitely must pay all your teeth for the loss of one tooth. What has happened to mercy?
This has led me to thinking and asking, what is mercy? Mercy is: "the spirit of compassion, tenderness, and forgiveness. Mercy is one of the attributes of God" (The Guide to the Scriptures). As I think about this godly attribute, I wonder what we must do to develop it more fully. How can we "turn to him the other [cheek] also" (Matthew 5:39; 3 Nephi 12:39), especially when we have been fully slapped in the face, embarrassed, lied about, taken advantage of, used or abused, or much more? "And if any man will sue thee at the law and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also" (Matthew 5:40; 3 Nephi 12:40). This is really difficult to do when we know that we haven't done anything wrong, but have "...with unwearyingness declared the word [of God]...and hast not feared [man] and hast not sought [our] own life, but hast sought [God's] will, and to keep [His] commandments" (Helaman 10:4). We basically live our life the best we can, keeping the commandments to our best ability, following the prophets, and doing good to those we serve, live by, and associate with. And then we get kicked in the teeth for doing what we thought was standing for truth, or doing someone a favor by helping them out in a tight spot and they sue us....They want justice, no matter the cost, even at the expense of their own family to ensure the ruin and misery of ours. This is what the world teaches, justice. Christ has a different method.
Jesus Christ taught, "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful" (Luke 6:36), and "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy" (Matthew 5:7; 3 Nephi 12:7). This isn't an easy thing to do where in our society we are demanding justice for every little imperfection, wrong doing, even trying to legislate bullying. These things can't be legislated. We can't be "told" and "forced" to love each other. This desire to "love one another" (John 13:34) must be taught by example and come from within ourselves. These are godly qualities that are there, waiting to be lit, and ignited through doing them. These things, mercy, compassion, tenderness, forgiveness, must be taught; they must come from our heart. President Gordon B. Hinckley taught:
"How godlike a quality is mercy. It cannot be legislated. It must come from the heart. It must be stirred up from within. It is part of the endowment each of us receives as a son or daughter of God and partaker of a divine birthright. I plead for an effort among all of us to give greater expression and wider latitude to this instinct which lies within us. I am convinced that there comes a time, possibly many times, within our lives when we might cry out for mercy on the part of others. How can we expect it unless we have been merciful ourselves?" (Blessed are the Merciful)
When we extend mercy, even in small doses, we are tapping into that instinct of mercy "that lies within us" (Blessed are the Merciful) and thereby being changed and developing this godlike quality that is desperately needed among all of God's children. Sometimes, mercy is saying "No" or "Stop" to a behavior, and teaching correct behavior. Mercy isn't anything goes. Christ teaches many lessons about mercy in the story of the "woman taken in adultery" (John 8:3-11). By the law the woman could be stoned because of her actions. The scribes and Pharisee's wanted to trick Christ and had brought her before Him, asking Him if He thought she should be stoned. He at first doesn't respond. But they continue to ask Him until He finally says, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her" (John 8:7). Their conscience is pricked and all the people leave until Christ and the woman are alone. Christ asks the woman, "Where are thine accusers" (John 8:10)? Christ, being perfect, could have demanded justice. He had every right to demand justice, being perfect, He could have thrown the first stone. But He did not. His purpose in coming was to extend, teach, and give mercy...to all of us. He continues to teach mercy by saying to the woman, "Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more". He corrected her behavior. He told her to stop what she was doing, to "sin no more" (John 8:11). When we correct our children and teach them to "sin no more" or teach them correct behavior, we are also extending mercy to them. We do this because we love them and don't want them to experience the challenges that come from "bad" behavior, negative behavior, or sin. True mercy is from the heart and eventually the mind follows, making behavior it's fruit. When we do as the Savior taught, to "be ye therefore merciful, as [our] Father also is merciful" (Luke 6:36) not only will our children be more loving, but we will influence generations. This I testify is how to change the world, to extend mercy, even when justice may be screaming in our ears.
