fmf: mercy

Here are the rules:
1. Write for five minutes flat for pure unedited love of the written word.
2. Link back to Lisa Jo Baker's blog with the rest of the Five Minute Friday-ers.
2. Comment on the person who linked up before you.

Please join us!

Today's prompt: Mercy

GO

I’ll admit: I cheated on this one a little bit. I looked up the word “mercy” on my dictionary.com app before I started my writing. What I found was intriguing. Here is a slight paraphrase:

Mercy: compassion shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one’s power.

So, really, how can we show mercy? By forgiving when people wrong us? By giving to those who are less fortunate than us? Donating money to charities? Giving your old, out-grown, or no-longer-fashionable clothes to Goodwill? Serving at a soup kitchen?

These are all great things, and we should definitely do them, but they are not mercy.

The people you would serve in these situations are not offenders or enemies. They are simply others: other children of God, other brothers and sisters.

They are others, but others in one’s power? This is the part that really struck a chord with me. “…other person[s] in one’s power.” So who can show mercy? Only those who have power over another person. That certainly isn’t me, and, forgive me for being so bold, but it certainly isn’t you, either!

STOP

I did another post awhile back, on Good Friday, about Justice, Mercy, and Grace...it's kind of random musings (as many of my posts are!) but it is pretty relevant here, as well. Feel free to take a look.