I am imperfect. No matter how hard I try, I simply can’t get it right. Despite my best efforts, I somehow find a way to make someone unhappy with me. It makes me sad, but it doesn’t make me want to quit. In fact, after I allow myself to grieve, I am motivated to learn from my mistake, repent, and seek reconciliation. This type of closed-loop living, whereby constructive feedback helps me to auto-correct and move on for the good, makes sense to this former process control engineer. However, I am not without help in that feedback loop. I have the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, helping me to learn and grow in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.
I am also someone you can count on despite all my imperfections. At the end of the day, I will choose mercy. Why? Because I am commanded to do so. How? Because I have the Helper by my side.
Mercy is the most powerful gift of God’s love for humanity. He showed us mercy when we least deserved it, but needed it the most. If you don’t believe that, then trust that my belief enables me to go and do likewise to you. In fact, the precondition of my receipt of God’s most powerful gift is failure. As I fail, I lean into Him more. In my weakness, He makes me strong so that I may have mercy on others.
There’s no greater demonstration of love than mercy. Neighbor, you can count on (imperfect) me to show you mercy.
May 23rd is “1-4-3 Day” in Pennsylvania in honor of Mister Fred Rogers’ favorite number. A Pittsburgh, PA native, Mister Rogers, regularly used 1-4-3 as a way of saying I-Love-You throughout his life and on his beloved television series, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. His reference was to the number of letters in each word: 1-4-3. May 23rd is the 143rd day of the year.
With everything going on in the world, it’s no surprise that we are all feeling a little weary and overwhelmed. This isn’t the time to add more “to-dos” to the list. This is the day to take a beat, realize that you are special, and affirm that you are enough. Let’s all do our part and help ourselves and others feel the love.
MindWolves 