Sunday, January 30, 2011

Mercy

Mercy:
Tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook error

Mercy is beautiful. It is generosity, kindliness, and grace. It is a blessing. It is every blessing. It is a newborn baby held in a mother's loving arms. It is a warm place to sleep on a cold, winter night. It is a rainbow after a storm. Mercy is our Savior, "sorrowful...unto death" (Matt. 26:38), suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is the sacrifice that He made on our behalf, that we may return to live with Him and our Father in Heaven. It is the final moments of His, our Savior Jesus Christ's life when He cried, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34) Mercy is love. 

"Mercy is of the very essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The degree to which each of us is able to extend it becomes an expression of the reality of our discipleship under Him who is our Lord and Master...He, the Son of the everlasting Father, was the epitome of mercy. ...His sacrifice on the cross was an unparalleled act of mercy in behalf of all humanity"
Gordon B. Hinckley, Blessed are the Merciful

"And thus He shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance. And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety..." 


6 comments:

Catie said...

Bronwen, I love that you can see the Gospel in everything, in simple things. That's a real gift.

Serena said...

"Tenderness of heart" can be a challenge to maintain in a harried, hectic world where we often feel if we don't look out for ourselves nobody will. But if we can keep foremost in our minds the things we love and admire in others who may be annoying or hurtful, we can kindle the flame of tenderness and then be able to overlook the things that hurt us. We'll heal ourselves by mercifully forgiving others.

Bronwen said...

Thanks Mom :) That's really insightful considering who you're talking to. That's something I really want to do better on.

ArtfullyQuaint {Heidi} said...

Hey Bronwen! Made it to your fabulous blog :))

Love your insight and beautiful thoughts <333

In reading your words I was reminded of this great quote by Elder Ashton...

"Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don't judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone's differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn't handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another's weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other."

Love this quote b/c it's so true! The hard part is doing it every day. Thanks for being YOU! *hugs*

Kristen Blair said...

Wow Bronwen. That is so beautiful. Thank you.

Catie said...

Wow, Heidi is it? That is a fabulous quote!