Blessed are the Merciful

Matthew 5:7; Matthew 18:22-35
cf Matthew 5:38-42; Luke 6:29

For the next few posts, I would like to look at the idea of mercy in the workplace. Today, I'm giving an overview and looking at supervisors and mercy. Wednesday, it will be the idea of forgiveness, particularly in terms of relating to coworkers and others at work. Friday, we'll stop and think about thankfulness. Finally, Monday, we'll talk about why do this at all, what is our motivation for thinking about mercy when those around us often don't.

Mercy is not a popular concept in what is generally thought of as a "dog-eat-dog" world where you have to "look out for number one" to "get ahead" in the "rat race." Those metaphors are much more widely accepted than "be merciful."

What does it even mean to be merciful? Does it mean that your supervisor can treat you like dirt and get away with it? Should coworkers be able to backstab you and know that you won't do anything? Does it mean to let employees slack off?

For me, one of the easist things to remember is to "turn the other cheek," which is found in Matthew 5:39 and in Luke 6:29. That really speaks to the first two situations presented above. Yes, your supervisor can treat you like dirt, and you should still respect, obey, and pray for your supervisor. Yes, your coworkers can backstab you and not expect retaliation. I don't think that means that you have to constantly put yourself in position to be backstabbed, but if it happens, you need to turn the other cheek. I'll continue this line of thought on Wednesday.

Perhaps one of the easiest ways to show mercy in a workplace is in relating to your subordinates. Think about the parable of the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18:22-35. The servant was forgiven a debt that he could never repay. Even if the servant worked all of his life, he could never repay his debt, so the Master forgave it. No questions asked. Balance equals zero. What did this servant do? He went out and found another servant that owed almost nothing, assaulted and threatened him, and demanded money "or else!" Naturally, the Master was dismayed and threw the unmerciful servant in jail until he could pay his debt (which basically equated to a lifetime sentence). So think about your situation. God, the Master, has forgiven you a debt of sin that you could never repay. No matter how hard you worked and how much your job paid, you would never be able to repay the debt, so God said, "no problem, I got this one." What's your move? Are you the unmerciful servant, ready to pounce on someone that crosses you? Remember that, however they wrong you, it cannot compare to the sin that you've been forgiven! Hold your subordinates to a high standard. But remember to supervisor them with an ample supply of mercy for you have been shown incredible mercy yourself (which will be the subject of Friday's post).