The Quality Of Mercy

"The quality of mercy is not strained
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath
It is twice blessed
It blesses him that gives and him that takes"

I suppose, Mrs. Cooper, my high school English teacher, would be proud.  For some reason this popped into my head today.  One of those things we had to memorize years ago that seemed to have found it's way into a deep crevice somewhere in my brain, waiting patiently to rise up when the time was right.

The quality of mercy, one that goes hand in hand with humbleness, compassion, patience, love, forgiveness and a few other attributes that bring out the special beauty of humanity. It's a quality that we expect from our leaders, our preachers, our parents, our loved ones, and that list goes on as well. But in our day and time, Mercy, seems to be a forgotten art, a neglected trait. In a world where the act of giving and taking for oneself seems to be the norm, the quality of mercy has become much more difficult to find.

"The quality of mercy is not strained
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath"

It's as though mercy has lost it's place in the world, overcome by anger, hatred, bigotry, judgement, greed and power. The Bible speaks of Hope, Faith and Love and the Greatest of these is Love. And out of love comes mercy.

The dictionary describes mercy as compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power. The disposition to be compassionate.

Too many times the quality of mercy is not only strained, but it's seems to have been removed from our vocabulary all together.

"It is twice blessed
It blesses him that gives and him that takes"

It seems to have become easier to criticize, than show mercy, there for, no one is blessed.

As we strive to make the world a better place, maybe it's time to replace a lot of our actions and attitudes........with Mercy........
As we become who we wish the world would be.......let Mercy........become as falling, gentle rain........blessing the world around us......


and the Journey Continues.......