“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Matt. 5:7

This is possibly the hardest blog post I’ve ever written. I’m not sure why. I’ve started over four times. I think it has to do with our country, which as you probably know, is always on my mind. But I haven’t been able to put a finger on it…until now.

I used to think our country was merciful. You know, with global aid and such. As John Bunyan said, “You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” I felt we as a people sort of embodied that, whether we were aware of it or not. 

But mercy has been usurped by the art of the deal. Quid pro quo. We’ll help you if we get something in return, like part ownership, resources we need, or at least your indebtedness. And maybe there’s nothing wrong with that for a country. The word “mercy” isn’t in the Constitution.

But it’s in the Bible hundreds of times. Being merciful protects our hearts from going stone cold, just as tithing and philanthropy protect our hearts from becoming utterly self-serving.

So maybe what’s been bothering me is wondering if our country is losing its heart. There’s such zeal against diversity, equity, and inclusion. There’s punishment for those who don’t go along with a certain ideology. There’s such fear of “the other,” even if no fear is warranted.  

I guess that’s the world’s wisdom, “but the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, free of hypocrisy.” James 3:17