This is Us


"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in transgressions -- it is by grace you have been saved."
                                               -Ephesians 2:4-5

 "The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."  Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
                                                 -Luke 10:37





"This is Us".  My new favorite.  I absolutely love this show for a lot of reasons.  The story line is wonderful, and it addresses a lot of stuff.  But my favorite part of this series is how it encourages mercy.  Mercy.  Something I need a lot of.

 I love the way the story flips back and forth between then and now.  The lives of the parents as young people are directly intertwined with the lives of their children some thirty years later.  Events in the past are shown along with how they  affected the future.  By seeing those two events together, we can allow those parents mercy for decisions and actions that even adversely affected their children years later.  Rather than those actions looking like calculated shortcomings, they become the actions of people who were doing the best they could with what they had at the time.  It's an advantage none of us has.  We can't see our parents as the young people they once were.....people like us who make mistakes, have surprises in life that throw us, have issues that sometimes make us less than we want to be.....or should be. 

 I don't have the ability to time travel and see the circumstances that led up to my dad's drinking problem.  I can't see what caused my parents to keep some "secrets" I can't find the answer to now.  I will never know those answers, although sometimes I really want to.  Our kids will not get the reasons we behaved like we did either.  We just aren't granted that perspective.  That's why mercy is so important.

 Mercy is defined as "compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm." The word is found in the NIV bible 131 times.  That's a lot.  It must be pretty important, huh?  In the two verses I quoted above, there are the two most important things about mercy:
                 
                  1. God mercifully saved us through grace, when He could have completely punished us for our sins.
                  2. Jesus tells us to go and extend it to others.

 Well, here's my perspective.  It's pretty easy to accept mercy from God.  It's kind of a no-brainer, when you really realize what He's offering.....all that grace for a small act of acceptance.  Mercy shown to me when I can give you 7 Million reasons why I shouldn't receive it.  BUT....I'll take it.  Of course I'll take it.

 It's a whole other thing when I have to extend it.  Sometimes extending mercy to someone who has hurt us can be one of the most difficult things we do.  But, like with everything God calls us to do, when we do it .....not out of love for the person we are directing to....but out of love for Christ, it is so much easier.

 Mercy allows us to overlook those insanely irritating things our spouse does over and over.  Mercy says "stop" when we want to tell someone why they are completely despicable.  It helps us give the guy driving in front of us who stops abruptly (or does one of 9,000 other stupid things in a vehicle) a smile rather than a curse.  It allows us to forgive a parent when they may not have done things the way we feel they should have.  Mercy can even go farther than the little things.  The amazing thing about mercy is that when it is done out of obedience to God it can even forgive the person who destroys a family, the contrite murderer, the abusive parent.   Mercy steps back, looks at the situation, even looks at possible reasons for someone else's behavior.  It tells us, "You don't have to hate, you don't have to get even, you don't have to even suffer in silence." 

I think the most miraculous thing about mercy is that it actually does more for the person extending it than it does for the offender.  When I actually extend that mercy, the anger I feel goes with it.   My peace returns.  I imagine my blood pressure drops.  I am restored.

Many of the things we are asked to do as Christians are not easy.  Mercy is one of those things.  But as with all His promises, once we take that step God provides us with all the strength we need to do it.  Practiced often, mercy can become more of a part of who we are, a way of life, an automatic reaction.  It can truly change our lives. 

I wish life were like a television show.....at least some of them.  I wish it offered us all the perspective seen on "This is Us".  I wish we knew all the answers.  But the fact is we don't.  So we are left  with choices.  Choices that give us the opportunity to be bitter or better.  Angry or filled with peace.  Resentful or content.   Being able to extend mercy to others doesn't come naturally.  It comes from the supernatural ability of the Holy Spirit to do it for us.....to help us through it.....to give us peace.  And peace is one of the mercies He allows us through a life with Him.  I'll take it.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

In Case of Emergency

      Well, as I sit here full of drugs for bronchitis, I'm mellow enough to tackle the last part of James 1:19 regarding anger.  Of all the emotions we experience, this one can be the most damaging to us and those around us.  Anger, combined with the tongue James speaks of later, can destroy relationships, lives, jobs, government entities, even countries.  It is a powerful and vicious tool that is almost always used in the wrong hands.       We all remember the example of Jesus becoming angry at the temple.  Since we know Jesus did not sin, this demonstration was more about righting a wrong than an expression of anger.  We sometimes call this righteous anger.  I fear that we use this example as Christians to justify our anger outbursts.       As I write this I am thinking about the last time I was really angry.  I have been doing much better with this due to the hel...
Read more

When Silence Breaks Your Heart

Image
"How long, Lord, must I call for help but you do not listen?  Or cry out to you, 'Violence!' but you do not save?" Habakkuk 1:3 We've all been there. Prayers that bounce off the wall.  No answers when we cry out day after day, week after week, month after month.  We question the goodness of a God who seems silent when we, desperate for answers and solutions, beg Him with tears, moans, and sometimes anger.  Why????? Often, when we look back, months and sometimes years later, we see what The Plan was.  Sometimes we don't. But when we are actually going through the experience of petitioning our God for our needs and we feel unheard and unloved, it's not easy. If you are familiar with Lysa Terkeurst, she's faced a number of battles recently when she has cried out to God for answers.  She experienced a marriage crisis and breast cancer within the last two years.  But in her new book, "It's Not Supposed to Be This Way", Ly...
Read more

Who Will Pray?

"When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven."         - Nehemiah 1:4 My friend and I are planning a retreat.  There are a lot of things to do to put a retreat together, and as with any project there are a lot of people 'behind the scenes' that contribute to the project.  I met with one of those people this week, and I think I got my "retreat experience" when having that 15 minute conversation. One of the things that happens before the retreat is a lot of prayer.  We have one prayer warrior we count on for a lot of this.  I met with her to give her the names to pray for, people who have registered for the retreat so far.  This lady is 86 years old.  She has not had an easy life.  She has a child to cancer, has watched other children suffer with it, and faced many other difficulties and trials along the way.  Her body does no...
Read more