Mercy Came Running...

Wednesday night is my bible study night. I was annoyed tonight. I was upset because I felt like a lady really attacked another lady pouring out her heart about an issue that she's dealing with. I felt like this other lady was just way out of line and it really made me angry. I called my friend on the way home and ended up kind of 'going off' about it. After my rant and a few laughs from my friend, I told her bible study was great tonight... it was on mercy. She quickly says, 'Yeah, I can tell'. Ouch.

It took all of about 5 minutes for my humanity to rear its ugly head. I'd spent an hour and 15 minutes in a bible study talking all about mercy and God's gift to us that we truly don't deserve. I get out and I'm immediately condemning someone else. I was more worried about what this other lady was doing and judging her for her comments... rather than extending the mercy I had just learned about. It's sad... sad and embarrassing to admit, but so like me.

Contrary to what you may think, I did learn a lot about mercy tonight. I've been extended mercy so many times in my life. Mercy is a humbling experience. One that can only be truly learned and appreciated by actually walking through it. I love the definition of mercy Angela Thomas uses: 'When God puts a crown of beauty on the head of a woman that's only known ashes... that's mercy'. In Isaiah 61:2 God says he will trade my ashes for a crown of beauty. There aren't many situations more humbling than that. Often times we feel like we don't 'deserve' the mercy and feel guilty for having it. That's the point isn't it? It's not mercy if we deserve it. Wikipedia's definition is 'compassion or relief given to an undeserving recipient'. I don't know about you... but it doesn't get anymore undeserving than me. God gives so freely what I do not deserve. Not only does he give it to me, but I'm commanded to give it to others. I didn't extend mercy tonight. I was upset and angry at this woman for attacking another and while I did have mercy on one of the women, I judged the other quickly. God will never ask me to extend more mercy than he's already given to me. Double ouch.