Mercy

Last week as one of the teachers was teaching on the beatitudes, she gave a beautiful picture of what mercy truly is.

She said that in the original text the word "mercy" was given a symbol as the language was something like hylogryphics. ?how do you spell that?

The symbol was an outline of a graceful bird with it's head looking downward.

What this symbol depicted was that of a stork who had plucked out her own feathers with great pain to herself.  The feathers were used as a ground covering for her chicks who had found themselves in a thorny place.  She put the feathers over the thorns so the chicks would find comfort from their distress.,

Isn't that a beautiful picture?  I don't think I will ever forget it.  And the lord knows I will be needing this ground covering many many times in my life.

Another definition she gave of mercy was....

"The willingness to alleviate the consequences of someone's foolishness"

and another man's thoughts....

"It squanders itself on rogues who have no intention of improving themselves.  All it asks for is that it be received.  The only unforgivable sin is the sin against forgiveness, the sin which directly and immediately refuses forgiveness."

And lastly, God is RECKLESS with his mercy.  He gives to all who will receive it, no matter the crime, the misdemeanor, the horrific.  The hardest part is receiving it since we do not deserve it and can't guarantee we won't be in need of it within the next hour.

What a beautiful God we serve

Rhonda