January 15th, 2025
Wednesday, January 15th
Choosing the Path of Mercy
Nicole Godard
Have you ever been tempted to just shut someone out who has angered you? You believe it will give you peace and validate your side of the story. Instead, you find yourself rehearsing the argument over and over in your mind. Does your blood pressure rise at the mention of their name? Do your close family members and friends have to hear the same story over and over about how they did you wrong?
In the cautionary tale of Cain & Abel, God cautioned Cain, “If you do what is not right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” Genesis 4:7. However if you read further, you learn that Cain did not heed God’s warning and lived a life of exile and wandering.
This idea of cancelling in our culture has become a breeding ground for sin. Like Cain, fuming over unresolved anger cracks the door of ill-thoughts and desires. We allow our anger to justify our harsh words and hatred. We think we’ve shut out and punished our offender when in reality we just continue to battle our own pride and rob ourselves of peace.
God calls us to something greater. He calls us to give the same mercy that Jesus granted you and I on the cross. It is not easy to do – it goes against our flesh. We must choose to rule over it and approach those that anger us with mercy and humility. To recognize we are in just as much need for grace and to ask God for his guidance on how to resolve our anger.
Its not an easy path to choose, but it’s a worthy one.
Choosing the Path of Mercy
Nicole Godard
Have you ever been tempted to just shut someone out who has angered you? You believe it will give you peace and validate your side of the story. Instead, you find yourself rehearsing the argument over and over in your mind. Does your blood pressure rise at the mention of their name? Do your close family members and friends have to hear the same story over and over about how they did you wrong?
In the cautionary tale of Cain & Abel, God cautioned Cain, “If you do what is not right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” Genesis 4:7. However if you read further, you learn that Cain did not heed God’s warning and lived a life of exile and wandering.
This idea of cancelling in our culture has become a breeding ground for sin. Like Cain, fuming over unresolved anger cracks the door of ill-thoughts and desires. We allow our anger to justify our harsh words and hatred. We think we’ve shut out and punished our offender when in reality we just continue to battle our own pride and rob ourselves of peace.
God calls us to something greater. He calls us to give the same mercy that Jesus granted you and I on the cross. It is not easy to do – it goes against our flesh. We must choose to rule over it and approach those that anger us with mercy and humility. To recognize we are in just as much need for grace and to ask God for his guidance on how to resolve our anger.
Its not an easy path to choose, but it’s a worthy one.
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