56 - 12 Movements of a Man's Life #6: A Man Identifies Himself with Mercy
Reminder: “The Twelve Movements of a Man’s Life” are not simply steps or a list. They are movements that we live in for the rest of our lives, continuing to grow and learn as we do so. We never finish; hopefully, we grow and learn until we die.
In order for all 12 of the movements to work, it is essential that a man orders his life, as we talked about in episode #50. Man must place God first in his life and himself second. Without connection to God, he will eventually wear out and/or burn-out.
Movement #6 - A man identifies himself with mercy:
He knows that but for the grace and mercy of God, he would not be “where he is.” He would not be able to identify himself with The Twelve Movements, and he would not be able to implement them.
Because he identifies his own need for mercy, having received it himself, he tends to be merciful and gentle without being weak.
The need for mercy assumes that the man has known/knows feelings and needs, and that he has the humility to admit having feelings and needs. This man knows pain, and he doesn’t run from it.
Pain comes from the Greek word pathos, which means feelings.
From our willingness to feel, we develop three other important characteristics that come from pathos:
We develop passion, which is a willingness to be in pain (have feelings) for something that matters more than the pain.
We also develop patience, which means the capacity to wait on our hopes to be realized.
With patience, we can delay gratification.
With passion, we can remain in pursuit of the results we seek.
People who run from pathos become pathological, which means sick. Feelings don’t harm us, but running from them does.
The great achievements of life in art, literature, science, medicine, in society in general, have their origin in passion and patience.
Love itself relates to our willingness to have pathos.
Luke 10:25-37 tells the story of The Good Samaritan, a man who identifies with mercy.
The Good Samaritan had empathy, which means he had experienced pain; therefore, he could identify with the another’s pain. Since he could relate to pain, he could have compassion for another who was in pain.
The Good Samaritan is a great example of what all men are created to become.
The Good Samaritan also expresses the three essential characteristics of being a competent human being:
Curiosity - willing to “look” beyond himself and risk the vulnerability of learning.
Courage - willing to fully participate in life with his whole heart.
Compassion - willing to step into another’s pain because he had empathy.
Curiosity + Courage + Compassion = Competence
Free Resource “Life Doesn’t Stop But We Can”
The movie Seabiscuit is a story about the importance of identifying with mercy and how powerful the impact of it can be.
Mercy helps a man develop the capacity for gentleness. Amazingly, the word gentle actually means to be able to be leaned on or leaned against!
Mammal herds thrive because the wounded and the young find safety amidst the “leaders” of the herd, the strong ones who are gentle.
A man who is merciful, at one time, needed mercy. A man who is merciful can also give mercy; this makes him a sanctuary.
A sanctuary is a place for someone who is in need to go and find safety.
In episode #26, we discuss what it means to become a Portable Sanctuary.
A man identifies himself with mercy.