George MacDonald and Mother Teresa on mercy

Referring to the person who might wrong us, George MacDonald wrote: “Even if he should take advantage of you, that is only so much the worse for him, but does you no harm. It is a very small matter to you whether another man does you right; it is life or death to you whether you do him right” (Discovering the Character of God, p. 293). 

Mother Teresa said: “We tell people how kind, forgiving and understanding God is, but are we the living proof? Can they really see this kindness, this forgiveness, this understanding alive in us?” (No Greater Love, p. 45)

Though he at times responded harshly to legalism and hypocrisy, Jesus was kind and compassionate to all he encountered. And, just as this Christly kindness can’t be dispensed at a distance, it can’t be excluded from any heart. We will find it in the others as we find it in ourselves. “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” (from Power of Yielding, “Universal Kindness”)