Christian life is difficult, there’s no doubt about it. One of the hardest aspects of it is learning to practice the idea of mercy. Some people might breeze right through forgiving a John Doe who harmed or hurt them…that’s actually the easiest part.

When John Doe comes along and hurts someone we love, we tend to find the very idea of mercy hard to accept. We try to mask our grudge by boasting of a greater love for the victim…which really distorts the entire idea of love. But while this might be the most difficult time to forgive John Doe, it might be one of the most important times.

Remember that Christ gave us a strict warning that “whatsoever you do to the least of my brethren, that you do unto me.”

“Sure,” you think, “and John Doe hurt one of Christ’s brethren…so why should I forgive him?”

Well, that’s the second part of it. Remember praying, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Christ will judge us by the same measure we judge others. So while we might feel reluctant to forgive someone for hurting a loved one…it might help to think back through our lives. We’ve all hurt someone at one time or another. That person we hurt happened to be a loved one of Christ. If we can’t forgive someone who hurts a loved one, why should He