Matthew 5:7

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

This verse, with its topic of mercy, brings up images of a judge presiding over a trial, passing down a sentence. Every accussed hopes for a merciful judge. And we all, of course, hope for (and are assured of, if we have a personal relationship with Christ) a merciful judgement from God. To show mercy means to not give to someone what is due for their sin or offense.

We may be tempted, because the majority of us are not in a position to judge anyone in any legal sense, to think, "When can I ever show mercy?" But we can show mercy every time we do not pay to someone what is due to them for an offense they have made against us.

When someone cuts in front of you on the highway, do you blare your horn at them and perhaps yell at them (maybe even using colorful language that you wouldn't use if anyone else was in the car)? When your spouse forgets it was their night to do the dishes, do you rip into them for it or, worse, give them the cold shoulder?When your best friend gossips about you, do you turn around and gossip about them to settle the score?

All of those are very natural, human reactions...but not merciful ones. Mercy would let the offense go, move on, and not seek to make the other person "pay". At the risk of letting you know how country I am, I'll tell you that one of my favorite phrases is "like water off a duck's back". It means when someone does something mean to you...or something bad happens to you...you just let it go. The water just rolls right off, like it would off the water-tight wings of an aquatic bird. I know it's not scripture, and there's probably something more theologically profound that should come to mind, but I think of this phrase often when tempted to respond in a viscious manner to something I perceive as a wrong against me.

Today's Challenge: Find one time when someone offends you. Instead of getting even, making them pay, or crticizing them unkindly, show mercy to them and let the offense go.