Someone sent me a link to a news story yesterday. The headline read: "Iraq's PM Says Saddam Depressed, Begs for Mercy." Hey Saddam, save your breath. Take it from someone who knows, begging for mercy doesn't do any good.
Just look around the world today. In your old stomping grounds bound hostages beg for mercy each day until the sound of their prayers is drowned by gurgling terror, then silence. Perhaps the pleas for mercy in their many languages were drowned out by their captor's glee at the glory they bring to merciful Allah.
In Beslan three hundred little voices begged for mercy to no avail. If innocent school children can find no mercy what makes you think that there is enough in the world for you? Perhaps if you had been a nicer king we wouldn't do a thing, but you were bad you must admit. How much mercy did you extend to the poor unfortunates who lived and died in your shadow for so long?
Even God doesn't seem to be in much of a forgiving mood these days. It seems that part of his divine plan consists of scouring the Earth with tornadoes and hurricanes. Toss in a few earthquakes, a volcanic eruption or two, a little global warming, a plague of locusts, and let's not forget that killer asteroid, shall we? It all makes for a rich frosting of chaos on this crazy world.
You never know when a house is going to fall on you (just ask the Wicked Witch,) or some nut with a bomb and a cause wants you to share his headline. The best we can hope to do is cling to each other and show our loved ones the mercy that the world will not. Yet we hold onto grudges like gold and fear forgiveness as a rash decision, as if mercy might be misapplied to someone who doesn't deserve it. But giving out what we deserve is the purview of Justice, not Mercy, which is measured on the scale of compassion. Feeling a bit low on mercy? That's alright, you can have some of mine.
You don't even have to beg.
