The Peace Project预览

Day Four: Mercy’s Soul Sightings

Walking into the kitchen, I couldn’t help but smile. There, on the coffee maker, sat my credit card, directly on top of the button I would soon be pressing to brew a delicious cup of yummy goodness to start my day.

It’s the little things in life that are easy to overlook but worth the pause. I paused to consider (with gratitude) life’s small pleasures, like a hot cup of coffee.  I also thanked God for the kid I had given the card to the night before to take his friend to the movie. 

His simple act of kindness flooded me with warmth and made me feel known and loved. I’m sure he wasn’t going for that, but his kindness filled me with gratitude. He knows me well enough that he put my card right where I would see it in the morning. And I lingered for a moment in how good it felt to be known.

Being known, accepted, and loved are core human needs that, if left unmet, silently chip away at our soul, leaving us lacking.

People operate from and share the same core human needs, and this is where we genuinely engage in Peace Project practices.  When we connect at our core need, mercy’s compassion invites us to “enter into the chaos of another.”

We are human, unique in creation with intellect and the ability to reason. We are the only part of creation made in God’s image, which uniquely, yet collectively, sets us apart. We alone in creation have an eternal aspect, a soul.

In the world’s economy, our identity is attained through achievement. But in God’s economy, our identity has been determined and declared by Him, and our worth is received. According to Him, we are masterpieces. And we get to walk life alongside each other as growing masterpieces.

And if we can see each other, as well as ourselves, as God sees us, then things change. Maybe it’s times of suffering or challenge, or perhaps it’s everyday, ordinary places that act as great equalizers and promote unity and help us to see a bit more clearly.

Is there someone with whom it is hard to show kindness or mercy? Acknowledge your feelings before God and ask God to give you clarity with each step.