“The quality of mercy is not strained.” If Shakespeare is right to say that mercy flows freely from people, we would have to conclude that most of us don’t have much mercy to give out. We rarely forgive those who cut in front of us in traffic, or who make a joking remark that we find offensive. Some of us hold such grudges for years. How likely are we, then, to show mercy to a genuine enemy?

In The Splitting Storm by Rene Gutteridge, FBI agent Mick Kline takes it upon himself to track down his brother’s killer. Convinced that the culprit is actually a serial killer, he chases leads that ultimately take him to Bakerville, Texas. There he meets Faith Kemper, a blind woman who may be another of the killer’s victims. He also tracks down a local man that he believes to be the murderer he seeks. Convinced of his guilt, he prepares to rush into the man’s apartment to avenge his brother.

But there are problems, much like those faced by Shakespeare’s Hamlet. To begin with, Mick is simply not a killer. Like most real FBI agents, he doesn’t actually spend much time waving a gun around like a policeman, but is actually a desk jockey. An accountant, in fact. What’s more, as an FBI agent, he’s sworn to uphold the law, not pursue personal vendettas whenever he feels it’s justified. He’s also not sanctioned to investigate this case, since his supervisor doesn’t buy his “serial killer” theory, and had forced him to take a temporary leave. To top it all off, Mick is a Christian, and he knows how God feels about people taking their own vengeance on one another.

With all of these factors swaying him, Mick must decide whether to satisfy his wrath or his conscience.

Mick stood there, holding the door, wondering if this was the right thing to do. He knew that lying underneath his nervousness was a solid layer of anger.

Would he be able to talk to [the man]? Would [the man] talk to him?

Mick’s fingers glided over the gun’s metal.

Suddenly he stepped back out into the night air, allowing the door to close.

Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You must love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you …” (Matthew 5:43-44). The natural question is, Why should we? Christians make the effort to do so because Jesus commands it. We can all strive to do so because it demonstrates the power of love, and squelches the growing hatred building inside us when we refuse to show mercy.

Of course, most of us won’t have to choose whether to take revenge on someone who murdered our loved ones. Or even someone who crippled us, robbed us of our life savings, or burned down our house.

But to prepare ourselves to be people of mercy, in case we ever have to face such huge decisions of conscience, we can start small. Forgiving those who interrupt us, or fail to pay close attention. Forgiving those who forget to take out the trash or do the laundry. Forgiving those who show no interest in what excites us most.

Then we can move on to forgiving bigger offenses. People who purposely insult us or gossip about us behind our backs. People who ram into us on the playing field or try to pressure us to compromise our principles on the job. People who ridicule our beliefs, our families, our income level, or our dreams, and persuade others to do the same. Those people are harder to forgive, because their attacks were deliberate.

We often justify our lack of mercy and forgiveness by reminding ourselves of how awful the other person’s crime was. But in so doing, we miss the purpose of mercy. Though our enemies can reap the benefits, it’s not really for them. It’s for us.

If those people who hurt us choose to acknowledge our forgiveness – a forgiveness they don’t deserve – they might change their ways. You could help set them on a different path, so that others won’t have to suffer what you’ve suffered. If they don’t, that is their decision. But you will have abandoned a life of self-consuming wrath, to become a person of mercy.

The quality of mercy is, in fact, not strained at all. It takes no real effort or physical endurance to build up the strength to forgive.

It’s a simple decision.

The quality of mercy is not strain’d,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.

                                                Portia,

                                                The Merchant of Venice

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… that’s why they’re teachers.

In the movie, “The Karate Kid”, Mr. Miyagi (Noriyuki “Pat” Morita) instructs Daniel Larusso (Ralph Macchio), “I promise teach karate. That my part. You promise learn. That your part. I say. You do. No questions.”

After Daniel agrees, Mr. Miyagi directs him to wash and wax his vintage automobiles, sand his endless wooden deck, paint a fence the length of the Great Wall of China, and finally paint his entire house. Daniel decides that he’s being used as a slave and decides to quit. Then Miyagi shows him how these grueling chores have trained him to do basic defensive moves in karate, which Daniel can now perform with incredible speed and agility.

Do you ever feel like arguing with your teacher or your boss, figuring that you know much more than they do? Years ago, my pastor corrected me about my bad habit of showing up late. Upset over the fact that I had arrived at 12:40 for a noon appointment with him, he proceeded to tell me how my tardiness was causing major problems by forcing others to wait for me. He had forgotten that we changed our meeting time after I explained that I worked until noon and couldn’t meet him before 1pm. I was actually 20 minutes early!

But I didn’t correct him on that detail. If I had, it would have completely taken the wind out of his sails … at a time when he was teaching me something important. I would have soothed my pride and justified my actions for the day, but lost the lesson for my life.

Instead of focusing on the flaws of your teachers, consider their strengths. While teachers and supervisors are not always correct, remember that they got where they are by learning something that you haven’t learned yet. If you swallow your pride and listen, you could learn a lot from them in a short time.

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Some sports commentators believe the 2008 Superbowl created the biggest upset in the history of national football. After 18 straight wins, the New England Patriots expected to finish as the second team in NFL history to suffer no losses. With less than 3 minutes on the clock, their victory seemed assured.

Then the New York Giants scored a touchdown. With less than thirty seconds left, the Patriots had almost no chance to win. They lost the game, and their dream of a perfect year.

I don’t follow sports, so whenever I do watch football, I’m not too invested in rooting for a particular team. But I wanted the Patriots to win and achieve their perfect season.

As the dream slipped through their fingers, I was reminded of a scene from the movie, “Regarding Henry”, in which Bradley (Bill Nunn), a physical therapist, confesses his former life as a football player. His dream ended, too, when he was tackled from both sides and suffered permanent injury.

“Man, when I heard my knees pop, I knew that was it. Game over,” he tells Henry Turner (Harrison Ford), the former lawyer whose own life ended when a bullet wound reduced him to a state of near-infancy. “Now ask me if I miss playing football.”

Before Henry can ask, Bradley answers, “No. Not one bit. Look at you. You’re walking. You’re talking. And I had something to do with that. So, no. I don’t miss playing football.”

When your dreams melt away, is your game over? Or will you try again? Will you find another outlet for your passion and skills? Chances are that you have many more opportunities, and many more abilities, than you realized. You probably even have some that you haven’t discovered yet.

I don’t have to follow football to know that the Patriots will continue to play their hardest this season. I also don’t have to guess whether they intend to return to the Superbowl or if they’ll strive for another perfect season.

For the rest of us, it’s admirable to seek a perfect score or realize a lofty dream. It’s equally admirable – though less noticed – when we work to make a difference in the lives of others, pursuing a different kind of dream. Aim high to reach your goals, but don’t imagine that your life is over if you don’t reach them all. Fame and success can never compare to the satisfaction of serving others and making a difference in their lives, whether or not you get any applause for it.

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In the 1980’s movie, “Can’t Buy Me Love,” a popular high school girl warns her new friend against becoming someone he’s not. “Being popular is like a job,” she explains. “I have to work at it.”

Cindy Mancini (Amanda Peterson) speaks from experience. She worked so hard at being popular that she ended up “borrowing” her mother’s suede outfit without permission to look cool at a party. Her party ended when a friend spilled wine on it, ruining the dress. She had to secretly replace the thousand-dollar garment before her mother found it missing.

In steps Ronald Miller (Patrick Dempsey), who has saved up more than enough to cover the expense. Provided, of course, that Cindy agrees to date him for one month. Ronald has concocted a brilliant plan to transform himself from “totally geek to totally chic”. By dating ultra-popular Cindy, he intends to become popular by association.

Cindy refuses to believe that anyone would be so easily deceived. But she is proven wrong. With little effort, Ronald and Cindy convince all of her friends that Ronald is no geek, but one of the coolest kids ever. Even when he does something socially awkward, his new friends assume that it must be cool.

Unfortunately, Ronald didn’t heed Cindy’s warnings about the cost of being super-popular. He dives headfirst into a world of make-believe, in which he must pretend to be a fantastic dancer, though he doesn’t know a single move, as well as an amazing lover, though he’s never dated. He is no longer himself, because he’s too busy keeping up with his own false image. He forgets who he is, and why he wanted to become popular in the first place: to make friends with people like Cindy. As Ronald sinks deeper into his deception, he loses connection with her, the only friend with whom he can be honest.

It’s flattering to be liked by a lot of people. There have been times in my life when I was surrounded by friends who thought the world of me. I’ve had other times where I was surrounded by people who wanted nothing to do with me. But in each situation, I’ve had close friends that I could talk to and be myself with. So it didn’t matter so much what the world at large thought of me.

Ronald’s nerdy friend, Kenneth (Courtney Gains), decides to follow his example, and tries to make friends with a popular girl, rather than confine himself to the same social circle he’s always known. Meanwhile, Cindy spends a quiet evening at home with her mother (Sharon Farrell), whom she could never talk to before without rolling her eyes. Ultimately, everyone learns to break down the lines of social class that separate “popular” kids from “unpopular” ones. They learn that, underneath, people are all just people, trying to make friends.

It’s good to branch out and make new friends. Especially among people who are different from you, who aren’t part of your usual social circle. But you don’t need to present a false image of yourself to be liked. Accept yourself, and others, for who they really are.

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