Mercy, Mercy

It was sunny and quite warm for September, so I decided to go outside and sit under a tree during my lunch break.  As I was sitting under a tree listening to music and knitting, and enjoying time with God, a lady came up to me, and said she wanted to be sure I was OK.  Since I had been in the same place for what seemed to her to be a long time, she thought I might be sick and need help.  I assured her I was fine, and she went on her way.  I was humbled and amazed that someone would take the time to stop and check on me to see that I did not need help.  I was also ashamed because I have seen the lady around a few times, and had thought her to be unfriendly. As I finished my lunch, God reminded me not to be quick to form opinions about people; to wait and keep an open mind until I know them better before I make determinations about their character. James says “mercy triumphs over judgment”.  For me, I want to extend mercy as often as I can. I want to keep in mind that not one of us is as good as we can be; neither are we as bad as we can be. We are all in need of God’s mercy.  So my friends let’s choose to be as merciful to others as God has been to us. Showing mercy is a way of extending love to others.