Love and Mercy

'See people with the eyes of love.  Don't be quick to judge. give people the benefit of the doubt.  Assume the best.'  Nicky Gumble.

I tend to be an optimist but there are occasions I will demonstrate my pessimistic side.  I always do try to see the best in people, and I VERY rarely take an dislike to someone, I wish it was never, but if I said never, I would be lying.  Despite this, I will always try my up most to see the best in someone, and see them 'with the eyes of love.'

In today's quiet time Nicky Gumble describes a scene in South Africa in a courthouse where there was a hearing about various atrocities during the apartheid.  A policeman had murdered a woman's son and husband, and when the court asked what this woman wanted doing with the policeman, she said she wanted him to visit her on a fortnightly basis so she could show him love he deserved as her son since she had so much love in life to give still after losing her husband and son.  Spontaneously someone in the courtroom started singing Amazing Grace, but the policeman had fainted with the shock of the woman's mercy and love.

I'm not sure I could ever be that merciful, but I would try.  Jesus was exactly like that though, and certainly would have done the same as the woman in the courthouse.  In Luke 9:54-56 the disciples were wanting to take revenge on some prophets they didn't believe were working under the power of God, but Jesus rebuked them. There are many, many examples in the gospels of Jesus showing love, mercy, and justice to those we would think of as sinners/unworthy/nasty/evil people.

Numbers 35:1-36:13 shows how Israel starts using a court system to bring wrongdoers to justice.
The principle of lover should underpin everything we do.  That is not to say we should stand by and let bad stuff happen, just because we should 'show love' to people and therefore be reluctant to bring justice.  Part of loving people is to protect.  This tension lies in everything.  We should not take revenge or retaliate, but we also have a duty to the state to prevent crime and bring wrongdoers to justice.  We should always act out of love.