Merciful

 

    Mercy does not work without forgiveness.  Sign of forgiveness is the absence of animosity.  This is mercy because you let the person that hurt you off the hook.  You let go of your pain, so that you can move on, but it is also mercy to them.  That is mercy that they may never be aware of.  Another step in mercy that they can't ignore is if you provide for their needs even if they never said I am sorry.

    Mercy and kindness normally go hand in hand.  You use them together to comfort people that may never give you comfort.  It is finding it in your heart to wish them well in life, but not necessarily inviting them in on your personal life.  It is being genuine without giving everything you have.

    Love and mercy also work together.  You can't be genuine and not have love in your heart.  If you try, then you are a fake.  You need to find love in your heart since they are a creation of God.  Since God created them and loves them, then there is something worthy in them to love.  You don't have to be best friends.  You don't have to like each other.  You do have to love one another to find true freedom.  

    Freedom comes when you can fully feel everything, but your feelings do not control you.  Freedom is when you are still hurt, you can still find it in your heart to forgive and let go of any potential bitterness.  You can see the situation for what it is and maybe pity them since they may not have the freedom of God.

    Bondage is when your feelings rule you and have control over your heart.  This is where Satan has his way.  You can't find pity which means you can't show mercy.  You want mercy because it shields you from all the bad things you deserve in life.  You can't expect to get mercy if you are not willing to give mercy.

    To be merciful is to forgive before even being asked to forgive.  We don't need to wait.  We need to let anger go immediately for our own benefit, if not their benefit.  If they do ask, then do not withhold forgiveness because it makes life easier (better).  We do this because this is what Jesus taught us to do, not because we are super human.

    It is hard, but we need to strive to forgive while we are still in pain.  It is amazing on how it makes the pain start to go away and even some of the scar tissue normalizes.  Holding a grudge does nothing but poison you from the inside out.  

    To forgive does not mean that you are a fool.  You can forgive and still not trust a person.  You need boundaries and you need to enforce your boundaries.  Emotions can heal and they should not rule over you, but they don't need to be ignored either.  They are the warning signs that things are not alright.  You can forgive and strive to commence the relationship, but it takes time.  It will not happen immediately.

    Forgiveness is good for your health.  Unforgiveness takes years from your life.  It ages you.  Forgiveness gives all the animosity over to God in trust that He will take care of the situation.  It is admitting that He is bigger than the situation.  God is greater than evil.  He will turn any evil act into something good.  

    Everything that Jesus taught us about mercy, love, and forgiveness is truth.  That means that you can forgive anyone for anything.  That doesn't make you a victim.  That makes you strong.  However, you can't do it on your own.  You need God's help.  The Holy Spirit empowers you to do all good things.  All you have to do is ask for help.

Daniel 9:4-19, Luke 23:23-25, Acts 7:59-60, Philippians 4:10-14, & James 2:12-13