Twenty-five years ago, the board of Clearview Christian Camp at Kenosee Lake decided to build new cabins. As part of the construction process, we rented a skid steer to clear some ground for the new concrete pads. One Saturday, a buddy of mine and I decided we ought to drive the skid steer down to the beach and use it to push the dock out. That was a bad decision!
We sank that piece of equipment so deep in the mud that even my truck could not pull it out. We had to call a farmer friend of ours and get him to come down with his tractor. To make matters worse, our friend was seeding at the time, so not only had we done something dumb, we had cost our friend valuable hours he could have been out in the field.
When I went to the camp the next weekend, the first person I saw was the farmer’s wife, Margaret. I braced myself for an unpleasant conversation. In fact, I decided to go first, so I said, “Hi Margaret! I am so sorry for what happened last weekend. We were so stupid! We had no business taking that thing down on the beach, and then we ended up inconveniencing you guys at one of your busiest times of the year”. I went on and on.
When I was done, Margaret looked at me, smiled and said, “There is nothing to be sorry for, Tim. You were trying to do something good!”
That was it! No yelling! No screaming! No pointing out how we should have known better. No holding a grudge or being mad. Margaret reacted with grace and mercy, and I can still remember how that felt.
Mercy is defined as “The compassionate treatment or forgiveness of an offender, an enemy, or anyone in distress, especially when it is within one's power to punish or harm them”. Mercy is not weak! Rather, it is strength directed properly. Mercy brings joy. Mercy changes things for the better.
We serve a God who is “rich in mercy” (Ephesians 2:4). He saves us “not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy” (Titus 3:5).
Everyone thinks they want fairness and justice, but what we really need is mercy and kindness.
“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36).
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