Of all the perfections the Lord exhibits, I think I like mercy the best. Merriam-Webster defines mercy as "compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power," as well as "a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion." Both definitions seems to be very applicable to my life: on the one hand, I need mercy because of the myriad ways I fail and fall short of God's glory. I also need mercy just to get through the day. God provides both types of mercies: the great mercy that forgives me at Judgement Day, and the small mercies that make this life the joy that it is.
In order to accept that mercy, though, we need to be merciful ourselves. I'm not sure how it works, but I know it does. It seems that we are able to receive just as much mercy as we're able to give. If we can't forgive another person their debts, then God will not forgive us our own debts. If we are willing to take a couple of extra minutes to bless someone's life or make their day go easier, God often does the same for us. In other words, by reflecting the virtue we see in God, even imperfectly we come to know such virtue better and are better primed to receive it. If we turn to the Lord, we will become more like Him; if we lose our life, it will be saved.
It is easy to be merciful toward some, very hard toward others. It is a progressive thing. Hopefully by being merciful to those whom we deem deserving, it will improve our capacity to be merciful to all.
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