Extending mercy to other people has always been something I struggle with.
I need mercy A LOT.
I know when I’m tired and overwhelmed and just need a break from normal responsibilities.
I know when I should have done more, but I just couldn’t.
I know I need mercy.
But extending mercy to others in my life has not always been natural.
From my outside perspective, it’s hard to see the extenuating circumstances that other people deal with.
Despite this, I’ve really tried to be intentional about extending mercy towards the people I interact with recently.
And guess what I learned?!
Showing mercy and extreme kindness to other people hasn’t changed their actions at all.
But it has completely changed my heart.
Our loving God knows exactly how to extend both justice and mercy in exactly the ways we need.
And we mortals have to try and do our best as we interact with others.
When I’m parenting, I’ve found this balance of justice and mercy can be tricky to find.
When do my kids need me to stop the fun and enforce bedtime?
And when do they need me to throw the rules aside and laugh with them a little more?
But in general, I’ve never regretted extending mercy.
When I’ve dealt with difficult interactions in my calling, disappointing results, or awkward encounters, extending mercy has always been better in the long run.
And our Heavenly Father delights in sharing both His justice and His perfect mercy with us.
Which means, in order to become like Him, we need to delight in indulging others with our mercy.
“Loving mercy means that we do not just love the mercy God extends to us; we delight that God extends the same mercy to others.” – Dale G. Renlund
A tough thing to do in a world as tough as ours.
But a necessary step in order to soften our hearts and respond in kindness and mercy.
“For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee.” (3 Nephi 22:7)
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
