Mercy: Extending Genuine and Unconditional Compassion to People
While thinking about examples of people that extend genuine and unconditional compassion to others because of their gift of mercy, a couple of people immediately popped into my mind. A friend, who is a special education teacher in a public school is one of them. Her passion for her job is undeniable. When she speaks of her students, her face brightens, and she becomes more animated. She truly cares for her students and her job. Just the other day, she asked me to pray for two of her students that had been involved in a car accident. Her occupation is more than a job; it’s her calling. I believe my friend has the gift of mercy.
Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. –Romans 12:6-8
What is the Gift of Mercy?
It is the God-given ability to extend genuine and unconditional compassion to others. Being able to sense the emotional, spiritual, or physical needs of those around them, people with the gift of mercy respond with understanding and love. When they see that someone has encountered a problem, they are inspired to make things better and often solicit the help of others to create a solution to the problem. They frequently speak tender and thoughtful words to others. Sometimes they are willing to suffer if they know it will help someone in distress.
Biblical Examples of Mercy: Extending Genuine and Unconditional Compassion
Invoking quite an uproar, especially with the religious leaders of His day, Jesus continually displayed the gift of mercy. The Samaritan woman at the well in John 4 was a recipient of Jesus’ great mercy. During that time, there was great prejudice and racial conflict between Jews and Samaritans. Jesus didn’t allow this, nor the fact that the woman was a blatant sinner, stop him from kindly speaking with her and revealing God’s love and mercy.
In Mark 3, Jesus healed a man’s crippled hand in the temple even though it was the Sabbath. Jesus knew that the religious leaders were seeking an opportunity to accuse Him of disobeying the scriptures. Since the scriptures clearly state that it is unlawful for work to be performed on the Sabbath, He knew that the religious leaders were plotting to accuse Him of violating this scripture. Jesus responded with His unending mercy in Mark 3:5.
And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.
Do you know of anyone that genuinely and unconditionally extends compassion to others?
Often, people with this gift extend mercy to people that are overlooked by others. It matters not to the gifted with mercy that a person is negatively defined by society. In addition, mercy givers regularly seek out situations that make most people uncomfortable. You can find them working or volunteering in places like third world countries, prisons, delivering food to the needy, providing care in a cancer treatment center, or even teaching in a special education classroom.
Want to read about other Gifts of Grace from God? Here are links to the gift of prophecy, the gift of serving, the gift of teaching, the gift of exhortation, the gift of giving, and the gift of leadership.