First we must understand what injustice is. Injustice requires that there must be truth. Without truth there is no right or wrong, true or false, justice or injustice. The first step in mercy is making it through the relativism of today's...I'm okay, you're okay... whatever you want to do as long as it makes you happy. If nothing is wrong, if we can convince ourselves that no actions ever hurt anyone or ourselves, there can be no such thing as just or unjust actions. We can not love other people as they should be loved if we will not acknowledge that actions have consequences. Rung one, learning injustice from justice, seeking and finding the truth.
Rung two, we have formed our conscience. We can see that there is truth. We understand that the rules God has given us are to teach us how to love each other, and Him, the best way possible. Justice is knowing that God is a loving Father and trusting Him and His ways. Justice is worshiping the God of the Universe and not our modern day idols. Justice is loving our children and giving them their mom and dad to care for them. Justice is taking care of the poor and suffering..whether they are poor in lack of love or material possessions. Love is standing up for the marginalized and silenced. Justice is being loving and faithful to your spouse, respecting them and making it your mission to get them to heaven. Justice is helping them grow into the person that they were always meant to be. Justice is forgiving because you have been forgiven and loving because you have been loved... all the way to the cross. But you can't stay on rung two, because we must always be striving to be closer to heaven and there is one more rung, mercy.
We can get pretty comfortable on rung two, but if we stay there long enough we are likely to turn into prideful Pharisees. When we start wondering what is wrong with people who can't figure out that there is a better way to live, we start thinking that this was all our idea, and it wasn't. We must not overlook all the sacrifices and help and blessings that have gotten us to a place in our life where we get to see God's providence. When we let justice turn into pride and judgement we are likely to fall right off this ladder. Fortunately for me, God intends to work all the pride out of me...a little more each day. . With pride gone, humbleness allows us to be merciful to others. Mercy is seeing what justice is, but wanting to love instead of being right. Mercy is being able to see truth, and the hurt sin causes, but finding the good in others and ourselves and edifying it. Can we love without first understanding goodness and beauty and truth? I don't know. It seems like a lot of pain comes from trying to love when we don't know what love is. And I don't know if a lifetime is long enough to figure that out for yourself. The older I get the more I feel like one lifetime is not enough to really know much of anything. But if I do learn one thing, I hope that it is mercy. I hope that I can throw my leg up and climb to that rung of mercy. I want to love the people who hurt me without counting the cost. I want to know that God is infinitely merciful and that my job is not to judge, but just to love. I know I am not there yet, but God is working hard everyday taking the scales from my eyes. I know that nothing is impossible for Him and He won't let me linger too long in my pride. He will get me there, I hope, and I will know what is feels like to love with that much more of my heart.
