Have Mercy- as quoted by Uncle Jessie
Definition: a
compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to
one’s power; a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion;
compassionate treatment of those in distress
Synonyms: charity, clemency,
forbearance, lenience, leniency, lenity, mercifulness
Friday nights prior to joining a
youth group in my high school days consisted of good tv and junk food. One of the shows was Full House, a show about
a widower, his three daughters, their uncle and his buddy who all lived
together in one house. Uncle Jessie
always had a saying when he got a good kiss or something great happened for
him- Have Mercy. Elvis has been heard
saying the same thing in his movies and interviews. Believe it or not, that has stuck with me for
the past decades.
Mercy. It is a good personality trait for a
nurse. Imagine what a health care
professional would look like without the ability to show compassion, or to be
caring? How would that promote healing
and health management? Would you want to
stay in a place, like a hospital, when the staff treated you like a piece of
meat? I shudder at that thought. Putting mercy into the mix, allows for
compassion- a genuine sense of concern,
caring and relationship building.
These are the basis to healing- be it physical, emotional or spiritual. Mercy means that you look at at a person and
feel sympathy for them and you act based on that.
While preparing to write today, I
learned of three degrees of mercy: 1. Acts of mercy 2. Words of mercy and 3.
Prayer (to reach out where acts and words can’t). Acts of Mercy could be as little as a shoulder
squeeze to a hurting co-worker, buying a cup of coffee for a coffee lover who
is having a bad day, a smile to a grumpy fellow commuter, a back rub for a
loved one who is stressed. Words of
mercy can be as simple as “I forgive you,” “blessings upon you and yours;” and “I
care. I am here.” Prayer is an important
one- when you cannot act, cannot find the words- pray. Your Higher Power will take care of the needs
of those of whom you are praying for.
May you experience mercy today.
May you show mercy today.
“Teach me to feel another’s woe,
to hid the fault I see, that mercy I to others show, that mercy sow to me. “
Alexander Pope.
“I believe in the equality of
man, and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving
mercy, and and endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy.” Thomas Paine
“A bit of mercy makes
the world less cold and more just.” Pope Francis.
