Mercy is Undeserved
If you’ve been reading along you may recognise this photo.
I’ve shared before in this year’s humility post, that this is one of my favourite Bible verses.
I’ve even talked about humble and reflected on this verse in an AdventWord post back in 2019.
One of the reasons I enjoy this annual thought provoking habit is because I’m a different person who has grown since I wrote that post in 2019, my reflections incorporate that, and any changes.
These days I no longer manage any building personally – but am very appreciative of my local meeting’s Premises committee.
We are not for names, nor men, nor titles of Government, nor are we for this party nor against the other … but we are for justice and mercy and truth and peace and true freedom, that these may be exalted in our nation, and that goodness, righteousness, meekness, temperance, peace and unity with God, and with one another, that these things may abound.
The Nature of Mercy
Mercy is compassionate treatment of those in need, especially when it’s within one’s power to punish or harm them. The idea of being within one’s power may feel odd – but think of employees, team members, anyone who is either accountable to you or that you have authority over.
But we can extend that to where we cause harm without meaning too, with microagressions or blatant refusal to make allowances for someone’s need or request.
Especially where volunteers are offering service to an organisation and receiving housing, expenses such as utilities and council tax we need to be very careful that we act from a place of love.
Acts of Mercy in Community
If we extend that to those around us in our communities, the ability to share your building or your grounds with others as an act of mercy or service can help form connections and develop relationships. Or perhaps that’s not appropriate and instead you’re able to share your money, or your time.
- How do you show compassion or mercy?
- How can you show compassion or mercy as an organisation or group?
We sometimes construct these artificial categories of who is the poorest or the least among us or those sort of things, but really George Fox was quite prescient, I think, when he noted ... about the ocean of darkness and the ocean of light ... that you don’t get to that point until you recognize that all the propensities that you would point out in someone else—Pharaoh, a Cain, someone else that’s an arch-villain or is self-destructive—exist in you, primarily, first of all.
Wendrie Heywood
MBS Founder
