"Mercies crowd us on every side"

Sometimes doesn't it seem as a theme or a word sticks to you, and you then see it everywhere you look?
For me, recently, that word has been "mercy."

It grabbed me last week in Matthew 9:13-
Go and learn what this means,
'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.'
For I came not to call the righteous but sinners."

I poked around Strong's Concordance and found that this use of "mercy" is from the Greek word eleos- "kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them;" as God reaches out to sinners, it is a readiness by man to reach out to those in need.

The word, the idea, churns around my mind as we meet with folks in a nearby church this weekend to talk about what it means and what it looks like to go out with the Gospel and serve a community.

And then, lest I forget or think I'm finished with it, it finds me again this morning in these words-
When we recognize God’s mercies, we can only respond with gratitude. And if our eyes are at all open to even a fraction of these mercies, we will be busy being grateful all day long. Imagine the consequences of such a day, busy with gratitude.

And when we overflow with gratitude to our good and gracious and gift-giving God, it follows that we will extend that grace and mercy to others — lavishly. We can do nothing else.
- "God Scatters Pardons" by Nancy Wilson on Femina
 
And again here-
It is odd that we have reached a point in society where we are embarrassed to talk about the doing of good deeds in a serious manner. It is odd that now and then someone has to say, “Dear Kristen, never be ashamed of doing a good deed.”
- "A Good Deed" by Andree Seu at WORLDmag.com

Yes, "mercies crowd us on every side" and find me serious.

(photo credit: mercy on the wall by ajom on etsy)