Are You Keeping Score?

What to Remember and What to Forget

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Luke 6:36 (NIV)

Webster’s Dictionary defines mercy as “kindness in excess of what might be expected or demanded of fairness.”1

This sounds good, doesn’t? I think we all enjoy receiving “kindness in excess.” However, God also asks us to show mercy to others. He wants us to purposely be good to people who don’t “deserve” it—even people who haven’t been good to us.

When someone hurts or offends us, it’s easy to make a list and keep count of everything they’ve ever done wrong. But God is asking us to be like Him.

Lamentations 3:22-23 tells us that God’s mercies are new every morning. In Isaiah 43:25, He says, I…am he who blots out your transgressions…and remembers your sins no more (NIV).

What we choose to remember and what we chose to forget (both actions of the mind) play a big role in our life and relationships.

For instance, when my husband, Dave, and I were newly married, I was pretty good at keeping score. Every time we had an argument, I would bring up every single thing he ever did to me since the day I met him. I’ll never forget one day, after I recited my list, when Dave looked at me and said, “Where in the world do you keep all that stuff?”

I’ve learned the best thing we can do for ourselves is to let go of the hurt, lose count of how others have wronged us, and leave the past in the past.

I always say that mercy understands the why behind the what. It cares about the person, not just what they’ve done to us. For instance, what if you walk into a grocery store and the checkout clerk is grouchy with you and has a sour look? You have a choice. You can say, “I don’t appreciate your attitude. I am a customer here and I don’t like the way you’re acting. I’m going to tell your manager.”

Or you can be merciful and say, “You look like you’re having a hard day. I just want to say that God loves you and really cares about you.” You can believe the best about that person and realize they are upset for a reason.

Luke 6:36-37 says, Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged…Forgive, and you will be forgiven (NIV).

We reap what we sow, and whatever we give away to others is what we’ll receive in return. If you want mercy, then sow mercy. If you need a friend, then sow friendliness. If you have financial needs, then look for ways to meet someone else’s needs.

The truth is, when we sow mercy, we reap a harvest of peace, joy, and healthy relationships. We also take a giant step forward spiritually. Because choosing to do what’s right—even when it hurts—causes us to grow and mature in an amazing way.

Prayer: “God, I am so grateful for Your love, mercy, and forgiveness in my life. I want to be like You and sow mercy everywhere I go. Help me to forgive those who have hurt me—to dwell on the good and not the bad. Show me ways, each and every day, that I can be merciful to those around me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Walk It Out: Take a few moments to reflect. Is there anyone you can extend mercy to today? Is there someone you can forgive? Are you holding a grudge, and it’s time to let go? Take a step today to sow mercy!