Mercy's Arms

This time of year always seems to get out of control. Christmas gets two months away and people lose their minds. They practically drive themselves crazy trying to get all the presents, the parties, the treats, the wrapping, the tree, and all the decorations together. But let us take a moment to reflect upon CHRISTmas and think about the best gift giver that we know. The best gift giver that I know is Heavenly Father. He truly knows what we want AND what we need. So for the next 12 days I'm going to post something out of the ordinary (hopefully) that I'm grateful for. So here goes.

Today I am grateful for the gift mercy.

Mercy.

In the Bible Dictionary it says that... wait. Mercy ISN'T in the Bible Dictionary.

But somewhere else in the depths of LDS.org it says that, "mercy is the compassionate treatment of a person greater than what is deserved."

Does that describe us as humans beings perfectly, or what?

Today I am grateful for the gift of mercy. As a largely imperfect person living in an unrighteous world I make mistakes. But mercy's arms are always there to encircle me and lift me up again. What an amazing gift we have been given by a loving Heavenly Father and a perfect older brother. Mercy is made possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
In the index one of the synonyms for mercy is the love of God. Heavenly Father knew that we would make mistakes, and that was to be part of our learning experience. God has to be perfectly just, or else He would cease to be God. But because of Jesus Christ's infinite Atonement, He can plead on our behalf. By exercising mercy Heavenly Father forgives us of our sins and welcomes us home when we are obedient.

Alma 5:33 says, "Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you."

I can see this scripture play out in my mind. In my mind Christ runs to meet us at the gate! He wraps His arms around us, leads us home, and pleads on our behalf. Almost like the prodigal sibling. He wants the best for us and has been waiting for us to come back.

What a simple and easy promise. What a great blessing. What proof of a loving Heavenly Father. What a great gift.