Have Mercy!
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Ok, it’s true confession time. Now I realize what I’m about to write may shock some of you, so I’m giving you fair warning…you might want to sit down here.
I have never been an Elvis fan.
Yeah, yeah…I know he’s supposed to be the King and all of that. I just never liked his voice or music all that much. So please accept my apologies if I’ve mortally offended you, and if you are a big fan you can just say this one of my major character flaws….
The only reason I even bring him up (metaphorically speaking) is because he had this tendency to say, “Have mercy!” in his songs or dialog, and mercy is a pretty important thing for us to have, at least according to Jesus. He tells us, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” (Mt. 5:7)
In other words, when we’re merciful to others, we will experience mercy ourselves, which is definitely a good thing. What we need, though, is a serious upgrade to our understanding of what mercy actually is. Most of us still have this rather quaint mental image of sensitive souls going off to far away lands to help the poor natives. You know, kinda like Mother Theresa or a Peace Corps worker. And while there’s nothing really wrong with that definition, it’s woefully incomplete.
Since we’ve been exploring over the past few months the idea of being a “Changling”…i.e. someone who embraces the changes God wants to bring into their lives, let me suggest another way to understand mercy: Extending or receiving encouragement to grow, to mature, and to reach your God-given potential.
The sad truth is that this kind of mercy is very rare. Think about it. How many times have you tried to do something new to improve yourself, whether it’s taking some courses toward a new career, or joining a fitness club, or even just a different fashion style…and instead of encouragement you get snide remarks and questions like, “Why are you doing that?” As if you’re such a hopeless case that you shouldn’t even bother trying!
Thankfully, Jesus shows us a better way. He always gave people freedom to move toward change, no matter what their background was.
Take Zaccheus, for example (Luke 19:1-10). He was a tax-collector, which in those days was roughly equivalent to being a pimp or drug pusher in terms of public opinion. Most folks decided long ago that guys like him just went straight to hell (Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200). Yet we read that Zach was so interested in getting close to Jesus that he was willing to make a public fool of himself by climbing up a tree just so he could see Him passing by. Once Jesus sees him there, He knows this guy is ready to make some serious changes in his life, but instead of treating him like the scum-of-the-earth…He invites Himself over for lunch! And by the time it’s over, ol’ Zach is a new man.
Now, can you imagine if Jesus had been walking along, looked up and started laughing? “Hah! Look at that crazy tax-collector! Who does he think he is? What an idiot!”
Pretty cruel, right? But…I’m sure you know (as I do) what it feels like to have people say things like that to you, or about you. And, you and I also know what it’s like to say those things about someone else, too.
Y’see, our problem is that we really like to label people and put them in a box. Whenever you try to change and climb out of your box, some people feel threatened and start to “cut you down to size” with their critical comments. In their eyes you can never change, get past, or rise above your history (their label). But worst of all is when you label yourself…oh what dark place that is!
The only answer I know to this dilemma is the one Elvis always gave: “Have mercy!” We all know how difficult change is. What we need are people who are on our side, cheering us on, giving us encouragement to press on through it all. But as Jesus so clearly said, if I want to receive mercy, I first have to give it. So how about it? Let’s change the culture and agree to offer mercy and encouragement to whoever is moving toward the changes of God. I don’t know about you…but I sure need it!
* * * * * * * * * *
Ok, it’s true confession time. Now I realize what I’m about to write may shock some of you, so I’m giving you fair warning…you might want to sit down here.
I have never been an Elvis fan.
Yeah, yeah…I know he’s supposed to be the King and all of that. I just never liked his voice or music all that much. So please accept my apologies if I’ve mortally offended you, and if you are a big fan you can just say this one of my major character flaws….The only reason I even bring him up (metaphorically speaking) is because he had this tendency to say, “Have mercy!” in his songs or dialog, and mercy is a pretty important thing for us to have, at least according to Jesus. He tells us, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” (Mt. 5:7)
In other words, when we’re merciful to others, we will experience mercy ourselves, which is definitely a good thing. What we need, though, is a serious upgrade to our understanding of what mercy actually is. Most of us still have this rather quaint mental image of sensitive souls going off to far away lands to help the poor natives. You know, kinda like Mother Theresa or a Peace Corps worker. And while there’s nothing really wrong with that definition, it’s woefully incomplete.
Since we’ve been exploring over the past few months the idea of being a “Changling”…i.e. someone who embraces the changes God wants to bring into their lives, let me suggest another way to understand mercy: Extending or receiving encouragement to grow, to mature, and to reach your God-given potential.
The sad truth is that this kind of mercy is very rare. Think about it. How many times have you tried to do something new to improve yourself, whether it’s taking some courses toward a new career, or joining a fitness club, or even just a different fashion style…and instead of encouragement you get snide remarks and questions like, “Why are you doing that?” As if you’re such a hopeless case that you shouldn’t even bother trying!
Thankfully, Jesus shows us a better way. He always gave people freedom to move toward change, no matter what their background was.
Take Zaccheus, for example (Luke 19:1-10). He was a tax-collector, which in those days was roughly equivalent to being a pimp or drug pusher in terms of public opinion. Most folks decided long ago that guys like him just went straight to hell (Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200). Yet we read that Zach was so interested in getting close to Jesus that he was willing to make a public fool of himself by climbing up a tree just so he could see Him passing by. Once Jesus sees him there, He knows this guy is ready to make some serious changes in his life, but instead of treating him like the scum-of-the-earth…He invites Himself over for lunch! And by the time it’s over, ol’ Zach is a new man.
Now, can you imagine if Jesus had been walking along, looked up and started laughing? “Hah! Look at that crazy tax-collector! Who does he think he is? What an idiot!”
Pretty cruel, right? But…I’m sure you know (as I do) what it feels like to have people say things like that to you, or about you. And, you and I also know what it’s like to say those things about someone else, too.
Y’see, our problem is that we really like to label people and put them in a box. Whenever you try to change and climb out of your box, some people feel threatened and start to “cut you down to size” with their critical comments. In their eyes you can never change, get past, or rise above your history (their label). But worst of all is when you label yourself…oh what dark place that is!
The only answer I know to this dilemma is the one Elvis always gave: “Have mercy!” We all know how difficult change is. What we need are people who are on our side, cheering us on, giving us encouragement to press on through it all. But as Jesus so clearly said, if I want to receive mercy, I first have to give it. So how about it? Let’s change the culture and agree to offer mercy and encouragement to whoever is moving toward the changes of God. I don’t know about you…but I sure need it!
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