"This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Administer TRUE JUSTICE; Show MERCY and COMPASSION to one another.......In your hearts DO NOT think evil of each other.'
"But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and stopped up their ears. They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was very angry. When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen," says the Lord Almighty.......This is how they made the pleasant land desolate." Zechariah 7:8-13
Why, you may ask, do I love these words sooo much? Because I NEED them! If I am going to be completely honest, there are many times I am tempted to NOT show mercy. Mercy is:
KIND AND COMPASSIONATE TREATMENT OF AN OFFENDER, ENEMY, OR OTHER PERSON UNDER ONE'S POWER. A DISPOSITION TO BE KIND AND FORGIVING. IT SUGGESTS REPRIEVE FROM A FATE OF CONSIDERABLE SEVERITY, WITHOUT FURTHER IMPLICATION
I see it in me as a mom when my child spills a whole new gallon of milk and I want to grunt and spew forth something that will make them feel bad for what they've done. I see it in me as a wife when I've been hurt by my husband and I want to give him the cold shoulder. I see it in me at Meijers when I'm dealing with a clerk who has overcharged me and then makes ME go to the other side of the store to make right HER wrong. At those moments, the ugly, human, sinful part of me does not want to be kind but rather unleash my anger/frustration, even though if I were on the offending end my soul would scream for mercy. Oh- but thank you Jesus for His Spirit in me that causes me to desire to be like Him- "Rich in mercy".
There are many times I am tempted to NOT be compassionate. Compassionate is:
Feeling or showing pity or deep feeling of sharing the suffering of another in the inclination to give aid or support or to show mercy; sympathize; to share or understand another's feelings or ideas
I see this lack of compassion in me when I am thinking about my own feelings and desires to be loved but not thinking about Rob's feelings and desires to be respected.
There are many times I am so quick to "think evil in my heart" and rush to "Guilty until proven innocent" rather than "innocent until proven guilty" (thanks Karin).
Evil is:
ANYTHING CAUSING AN UNDESIRABLE CONDITION, AS RUIN, INJURY OR PAIN; HARMFUL.
I hate to admit that I can think evil of someone, that I can quickly go down a negative road rather than the positive, believing the best about a person (actually- It is mostly with my husband than with others and I'm not sure why. It's certainly not him but rather a part of me that I hate and that God has been revealing so He can prune me and cut it off for good!) because I believe it is sooooo incredibly ugly. However, I can share this with you, because I am firm in my belief that God loves me, desires me to be honest to the core and in the depths of my inner being, has sent Jesus for this very reason, and healing comes only when we confess our sin/our ugly parts. Confessing this negativity as sin truly has healed me. God is changing me and creating in me the woman I deepy desire to be- the merciful, compassionate, believe the best about everyone and the glass half full kind of woman.
May I encourage you, my fellow travelers to store up these words in your heart. Use them as you would a sword in a battle when the temptation comes over you to not be merciful or compassionate or when the temptation comes to you to think evil of someone in your heart. May it be said of us that those "Watergirls" are the most merciful, compassionate, and sincerely positive women . May it be said of us that we are just like our Father.
"But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be "daughters" of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." Luke 6:35 & 36
Blessings from Bombadil. May your soul be watered and may you water another's soul. Kristy Joy Link
