Mercy

Father Richard Rohr is right when he says, “Forgiveness and mercy are at the core of who God is.” I used to think of mercy as God just tolerating our mistakes, waiting for us to get it together—almost like God was annoyed but willing to look the other way. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to understand it differently. Mercy isn’t just something God does once in a while; it’s who God is. It’s God looking at us, holding out a hand while we cling to our mess, saying, “I see you, I know you, and I still want you.”

This idea of mercy is tied to something more profound than just forgiving a mistake here or there. It’s about a love that doesn’t break, no matter how many times we do. In Hebrew, the word is hesed, which means steadfast, unbreakable, and never-ending love. God doesn’t back out of this covenant of love. We’re the ones who often do, holding onto guilt or shame, thinking we don’t deserve forgiveness until we’ve ‘earned’ it. But that’s pride talking. When we refuse to accept mercy, it’s like we’re saying we’re too good for it, that we’ll only take it once we’re worthy.

That’s not how it works.

In its deepest form, forgiveness is God letting go of power—power we, ironically, often cling to when we refuse to forgive others. We like to hold onto unforgiveness because it gives us a sense of control. “I won’t forgive you; you’ll know it by how I treat you.” It’s our way of feeling superior, but that’s not how God operates.

If we look at Jesus as the image of God, as Colossians says, then we see a God who is deeply humble, willing to throw our sins behind His back and move forward, not holding them against us. It’s not about achieving holiness by ourselves. We’re shaped by mercy—over and over, one surrender at a time. And when we finally start to get that and let mercy in, it changes us. We stop holding back forgiveness and give mercy as freely as we receive it—no strings attached.

That’s where freedom really begins.

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