EMPATHY, MERCY & GRACE

Empathy, mercy and grace. We celebrate it amongst ourselves but in the greater world outside our clans it is sorely lacking. What true value is it to us if we only feel kinship and grace for those we love and those who think like us but never to the stranger? These are holy notions which have been deemed weak and outdated and which no longer bear much substance because of fear and threat of the “other”.

This thinking should not be the fruit of one who claims Christ as their Lord. It is only because of Love that we can grow a proper empathy. By its very nature it inclines itself to mercy, which is the action taken upon that feeling. We can look to Paul speaking to Timothy on this, “But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them. But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life.” 1 Timothy 1:13

Mercy is an act of judgement withdrawn and grace is that unmerited favor given though you and I did not earn it. Yet, with all things we must first be partakers. We did not deserve mercy, we deserved His full wrath yet He relented despite ourselves.

Our hearts in response should become softened and made tender and pliable and open because of His stayed hand. We are to be givers of mercy because we ourselves, who claim His lordship are so greatly in need of it. Men build their own fiefdoms for dominion on the bones of self-made piety. Even so, His kingdom is wonderfully ruled by the opposite of reprisal and iron fisted decree. It is no mollycoddled, heart on one’s sleeve leniency but an authentic example of His compassion and strength tempered. There will come a day when that well will have run dry and justice is rent, but it is not now.

He longs for all hearts to know Him and offers up His unmerited grace and His mercy though none deserve it. And He has set builders to bridge those gaps. Because of His goodness and what He has done for us we should be humble and shining examples of His gift to all. And yes, with all things there is balance but we are to give freely of it and look to Him, not prideful, faithless, and broken men as the way to live because in these days we so desperately need it for ourselves. There are always two paths, may we choose wisely and with His unction of the Spirit.