Quality

"The quality of mercy is not strained. It drops as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath. It is twice blest: It blesses him that gives and him that takes."

Updated from The Merchant of Venice

Based on Deuteronomy 32:2

We all hold a virtual court in our hearts and daily sit in judgement on people and events.  What colours my judgements, I ask myself? How do I determine my verdicts? Yesterday I listened to Corrie Ten Boom telling her story on YouTube.  She was betrayed by a  fellow Dutch man who was a Nazi collaborator. Not only did he lie about his wife being Jewish, he also took money from Corrie on the pretext of obtaining her escape!

When she discovered who her betrayer was, hatred arose in her heart. She found him guilty as charged!

After WW2 ended, the man was sentenced to death. Corrie heard of it.

After a huge internal struggle and, being prompted by the Holy Spirit, she wrote him a letter before he died.

In it she said that his betrayal had caused the deaths of many, including members of her close family, but, because of Jesus, she chose to forgive him.

He replied to her just before his execution saying: because you could forgive me after all I did to you and your family, I am overwhelmed. What kind of love is that? If you could forgive me, then I believed Jesus could forgive me too and I wanted to turn to Him. I have given my life to Him.

She was released from her hatred, he was released from his guilt  before he died - "twice blest", as Shakespeare wrote in the extract above! So what's the quality of mercy in my heart? Do I strain it to exclude those I don't like or resent, those who have offended me?

Withholding mercy builds up a damn of resentment and anger inside me which eventually pollutes the whole of life. Jesus said  blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7 Luke 6:32-33 AMPC If you [merely] love those who love you, what quality of credit and thanks is that to you? For even the [very] sinners love their lovers (those who love them). [33] And if you are kind and good and do favours to and benefit those who are kind and good and do favours to and benefit you, what quality of credit and thanks is that to you? For even the preeminently sinful do the same. The quality of my love, mercy and forgiveness is defined by how all-embracing it is. Who am I excluding? Who am I failing to bless? Is it stopping my blessing too?

Selah