The Most Precious Gift of All

It's the most outrageous, reasonable thing. The more I think about it, the more amazed I am. It gives blessings that are undeserved and withholds punishment when it is deserved. It's absolutely the greatest gift you can give someone.

This gift is called mercy.

See, Jesus came to give us freedom from our sins, even though we had rebelled against Him. He showered us with mercy even though we didn’t deserve it.

By Christ's example, we're not only taught to love our enemies, we're taught to pray for them too. And if you can possibly bring yourself to do something nice for them—even if it's just smiling at them to show you're not holding a grudge—you'll really give the devil a black eye.

The truth is, a lot of what people take from you, they have no ability to give back. My father took my childhood innocence through sexual abuse, and there was no way he could have given that back. But God promises us double for our former trouble.

We can give to people who will give us gifts in return. But we're more blessed when we choose to give to those who cannot pay us back—that's giving mercy.

I encourage you to trust God a little bit more. Believe that whatever you do for "the least of these"—the poor, the hungry, the sick, people in prison and those who are neglected and alone—will be done for you also.

Because the greatest gift you can give God is to become more like His child. Then you'll be free to give those around you the greatest gift they could ever receive from you: mercy.