WEDNESDAY

Micah 7:18

• When have you reflected on God’s mercy?

It can be hard to be merciful. To show mercy means we have the power to punish, but we choose to forgive and show compassion. I’ve struggled with this, especially when I’ve been hurt by someone I trusted. I want justice. I want them to know how much they hurt me. But then I remember how many times I’ve failed God, and how God keeps choosing mercy.

Today’s passage says God “delights in showing mercy.” God is not just reluctantly forgiving us. God wants to. That changes me. It reminds me that I’m not defined by my worst moments. God’s mercy meets me there, and it calls me to be merciful, too, not out of obligation, but because I’ve received it so freely. Mercy makes room for healing, for hope, for relationship. When I reflect on God’s mercy, I’m moved to offer it more freely to others.