So I’ve been basing these #AtoZchallenge posts on a cross-stitch my Mum made for me a few years ago. Each letter depicts a title for God, with a picture and a Bible verse. Today’s letter, M, shows the phrase ‘Merciful Lord’ and the verse Psalm 100:5.
The Bible version I’m reading this year is the NLT, the New Living Translation. It’s a modern-language translation first released in 1996, like the more popular NIV (New International Version, first released in 1978) which I’ve used previously.
Neither the NIV nor the NLT however, have the word ‘mercy’ or ‘merciful’ in this Bible verse though. In fact, I needed to go back to the King James Version of the Bible (released in 1611) to find the word ‘mercy’ in that verse! It reads:
“For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth for all generations.”
So that got me thinking: What is ‘mercy’, anyway?
Google’s definition: “compassion or forgiveness shown to someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm”. Yup, that’s kinda what I had it pegged as.
According to www.gotquestions.org, “Mercy is the withholding of a just condemnation.” Now that’s concise. I like it.
Whenever I think of mercy, I think of Aesop’s fables. There’s The Lion and the Mouse and its parallel tale, Androcles and the Lion.
In both situations, the more powerful creature could have harmed the weaker, but chose to show mercy instead. Then the situations are reversed, and the weaker shows mercy to the stronger.
Well, God’s definitely the more powerful one in our relationship, and I’m glad he’s chosen to show me mercy. (Unlike the Aesop’s fables though, I can’t imagine the situations ever being reversed!)
So that’s my lesson for today: His mercy begets my gratitude!
Have a lovely day, dear reader!
— KRidwyn
10 replies on “26 lessons from God’s metaphors: #13”
Oh, Aesop’s fables. But what superb and instant transport back to childhood. I would read them before going to bed and assign a rating in the table of contents, so I’d know which ones to read again at a later date. But, like Robert Frost when he came upon two roads diverging in a woods, I never seemed to get back to re-reading any of them. There was always too much else to do. I’ve been crazy fortunate.
Hi, John! I re-read Aesop’s fables again just last year. As a writer, I now appreciated how concisely each story managed to get the message across. As short as Flash Fiction, most of them, with nary a word wasted. 🙂
Ridwyn your mom is very creative and what a verse she has chosen. Amazing to see such a nice post. The Lord is merciful.
Hi Vamshi! Thanks for stopping by, and for taking the time to comment 🙂
Yes, my Mum is one amazing lady. At the end of the #AtoZchallenge, I’m going to need to do a post showing the whole cross-stitch in all its glory, I think!
Thanks again, and have a lovely day!
The Lord is really merciful. I will ask my mom to make me one such wonderful art piece. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Tiger! Yes, He certainly is, isn’t He 🙂 And Mum’s sure are wonderful for being creative when we’d like them to be. It took mine months (several) to finish the whole cross stitch!
Nice to see such post. Thank you for sharing. Mercy and love are synonymous and Lord is very graceful and loving.
Hi again Tiger, and thank you! Thank you also for taking the time to comment; I appreciate it. And have a lovely day! 🙂
What a lovely post and a great way to do your a to z challenge! I’m going to have to read up on your previous posts, very interesting. I’m also doing the challenge, but my topics roam. http://themarthareview.com/m-is-for-mountains/
Hi Martha! Thanks for stopping by, and even more so for taking the time to comment and give such lovely feedback 🙂
This was a last-minute theme, after the fiction I was creating wasn’t going to work out. The story itself would have, but it was FAR too tense and ‘mature’ for me to feel comfortable publishing it on my blog! So a friend suggested I use my Mum’s cross-stitch as a basis, and presto! 15 done, 15 left to go!
I look forward to reading your post. Thank you for linking to it! And have a lovely day 🙂