Mercy (which God desires more than sacrifice) is not about turning a blind eye to sin and glossing over transgressions. Rather, it’s about the door to God’s heart never being closed to those who approach him in repentance and sorrow—no matter the gravity of the sin. And since this mercy is integral to God’s holiness—a holiness we are called to emulate—we too are challenged to imitate God’s mercy with hearts truly open to those who sin against us. But, unlike God, we can only extend that mercy to others if we have first extended mercy to ourselves and not allowed wounded pride or undue guilt to make us feel ourselves unworthy of mercy and forgiveness. For many extending mercy to self and others is a great challenge and thus by its difficulty becomes sacrificial and thereby, perhaps, becomes doubly pleasing to God!
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