What is the limit on loving mercy?

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Micah 6:8 “…and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy…”

Like you, I know we need to forgive, let go, clean our own side of the street. I even know it’s what God requires of me. Knowing God requires me to forgive, however, doesn’t make it easy. Forgiving people who hurt me goes against my nature because my natural tendency is to withhold forgiveness and seek revenge.

Forgiving people who hurt me is a challenge. “Loving mercy,” on the other hand is an entirely different kettle of fish. I get the forgiveness part, but to love mercy…I mean love it? It isn’t easy to look at myself in the light of “loving mercy” because attitudes of the heart aren’t easy to recognize much less to change.

Besides, isn’t there a limit? How much are we supposed to put up with before we say, “Enough?” People have no idea how much you and I have already forgiven, do they? Unless someone has walked our path, they may be clueless about how hard it’s been. However, they aren’t the ones telling us we need to “love mercy.” That instruction came directly from the God who sent His Son to die on the cross for us. And He does know the path we’re walking.

There’s great freedom in understanding that I am powerless to change other people. When I really come to terms with that truth, I also realize it’s not my responsibility to try to change them. It’s God’s job to change them; and just as God is working in my life, He is also perfectly capable of working in theirs. It’s my job to love them.

Loving them is summarized nicely in that love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things.” (1 Cor 13:5) Bearing means we don’t bolt and run because the path isn’t easy. Believing doesn’t mean we believe our prodigal, who doesn’t have much credibility. But we can believe that God is working the worst things out for our good and His glory. That gives me hope, and when I have hope, I can endure most things…if only for today.

Loving mercy means I’m going to get out of the way and let God work in people’s lives in His way and in His time and even without my input. In the meantime, the paths to “loving mercy” and to serenity are one and the same. That path is accepting people for who they are, for what they are, and for where they are…just for today.

It isn’t easy to keep on forgiving, is it? And it’s much harder to be so eager to forgive that someone would say, “Wow! They really love mercy!” As humorous as that is, it’s a good analogy. It’s also unlikely that anyone is going to say that about me today because I certainly don’t do it perfectly. The good news is we don’t have to. We only need to do the best we can.

However, we can choose not to cling to that bitterness and anger with all our strength. If we refuse to forgive and let it go, we have only ourselves to blame when we have no peace. And is it really fair to expect mercy when I hurt someone but to demand justice when someone hurts me?

Challenge for Today: What might happen if we, just for today, asked God to help us “love mercy” the way He does?