Save This The Next Time Your Kids Drive You Crazy

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." Matthew 5:7 (NIV)

"As wisdom was the primary possession of God, it was also reflected in the life and ministry of Jesus. Jesus, during the years of his growth, reflected an increase in wisdom (Lk 2:40, 52), and both his opponents and his friends recognized the wisdom in his teaching (Mt 13:54)." [1]

"Save This For the Next Time Your Kids Drive You Crazy"

The Roman Stoics called mercy a sickness of the soul, viewing it as a weakness. The Greek word eleos means “kindness or concern expressed for someone in need.”

Mercy perceives someone else’s pain, feels their hurt, and shares their emotions. Merciful people feel compassion and take action. They give food to the hungry, comfort to the grieving, love to the rejected, forgiveness to the offender, and companionship to the lonely. Mercy embodies the love of Jesus. Jesus tells us he desires mercy from us (Matthew 12:7).

God shows amazing mercy, as Paul describes Him, being rich in mercy (Ephesians 2:4). Fathers, we are to show mercy to our children. The next time your kids drive you crazy, pray to show them mercy. The wisdom that comes from heaven is full of mercy (James 3:17).

I want to be a person of mercy. This is the Beatitude where I have most keenly felt the Spirit of God’s conviction. Often, I wish I could be half as merciful as my wife, Tamara. The moment she hears someone has been in the hospital, she prays for them and offers to bring them a meal. I couldn't count the number of hurting people she has visited in their homes, in the hospital, and in rehabilitation centers. She remembers their children and the details of their illness or surgery. Of course, Jesus was the most merciful person. We need to be more like Jesus in the frequency and extent to which he showed mercy. When we acknowledge our need for mercy and experience God’s mercy poured out on us, we can show it to others.

What about you? How do you show mercy, especially when you are striving for success in business, in a hurry as a customer, or when the other person makes a mistake or does something you think is foolish?

[1] Elwell, Walter A., and Barry J. Beitzel. “Wisdom, Wisdom Literature.” Baker encyclopedia of the Bible 1988 : 2152–2153. Print.