Our receiving or giving of mercy leads us into an…

“Our receiving or giving of mercy leads us into an experience of repentance, for it removes us from the cycle of retribution we’re taught to pursue. To be merciful is to show compassion and forgiveness to someone whom you have the power to punish.”

@joshualukesmith from the chapter Lord, have mercy from his book “Something you once knew.”

Can I tell you my story of mercy?

A young SGT Mignard was deployed to Bosnia and was super frustrated. I don’t remember what I was frustrated about and I don’t even remember who I was talking to but I started talking trash about my boss, a person who outranked me.

I had been going on for a while and just when I was about finished, he walked around the corner. The person who I was saying indefensible things about HAD BEEN LISTENING THE WHOLE TIME. He said, “SGT Mignard, come with me” and walked out of the room.

So, if you’ve never been in the military and you’ve never been deployed, this is bad. Really bad. It’s called “disrespecting a non-commissioned officer” and has actual legal ramifications. I could lose rank, I could lose pay, and if I had any aspirations of a career they could be dashed that day.

My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest as we walked to toward the 1SG’s connex - a man who was simultaneously inspirational and completely terrifying. But…we walked right by it. He took me a cafe we had in the camp that was run by a couple of Bosnian locals. He bought me a coffee and said a sentence I’ll never forget.

“I know you’re stressed out, we all gotta mouth off every now and then. I think you’re doing a good job. You and me are ok.”

I can’t even express the feelings I had at that time. When I think of the mercy of Jesus, I instantly think of that moment. How freely he was able to just let it go. I was wrong in EVERY way, there was no defense and I was personally attacking him and just like that, he forgave me. I don’t remember crying then, but it definitely makes me tear up now. The gravity of mercy is just too much to comprehend sometimes.

This is a great book. It’s a quick read and it’s beautifully written. Thanks Joshua! 🙏🏻