Have Mercy On.....

   It seems like, sometimes, I get myself caught up in the wrong portion of an equation.

   The Scripture reading is from Matthew 17 and reads like this (from The Message):

   "At the bottom of the mountain, they were met by a crowd of waiting people. As they approached, a man came out of the crowd and fell to his knees begging, "Master, have mercy on my son. He goes out of his mind and suffers terribly, falling into seizures. Frequently he is pitched into the fire, other times into the river. I brought him to your disciples, but they could do nothing for him."

   I see the father in the story pleading for mercy from Jesus, but for his son and not for himself. This father, as we see from the story, has worked with this particular problem for some time, and it is just not getting any better. There is constant care needed to keep the boy from throwing himself into the fire or into the river. The father must stay always vigilant to keep his son alive. It must have been a drain on him over the years.

   I am afraid, if I were in that father's shoes, that I would ask for mercy for myself. Forgetting the suffering of the son, I can hear myself saying, "the caregiver needs help, and he needs it right now. I just can't take the constant strain anymore. Help!"

   I have marveled at friends who have, in effect, subordinated their whole lives to be at the beck and call of a loved one. Maybe, on some days, they had asked for mercy in the situation for themselves, but their primary concern was for that one who suffered. Their love shone forth.

   But this attitude is not just for that very special situation, it is for each and every day. It is the life that says, "you are more important than I am and I will serve you as God leads me".

   Is this not what true love is?