'Blessed are the merciful.' (Matthew 5:7)

'Blessed are the merciful.' (Matthew 5:7)

Jesus’s sacrifice on our behalf was the greatest example of mercy. We can follow His example by extending mercy and compassion to others wherever we can.

Does someone owe you money?

Figure out a meaningful way to ease the person’s burdens.

Do you have a colleague buried in too much work?

Ask him or her how you can help.

Know a family struggling to make ends meet?

Find a way to make their Christmas special.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf April 2012 'The Merciful Obtain Mercy.'

I imagine that every person on earth has been affected in some way by the destructive spirit of contention, resentment, and revenge. Perhaps there are even times when we recognize this spirit in ourselves. When we feel hurt, angry, or envious, it is quite easy to judge other people, often assigning dark motives to their actions in order to justify our own feelings of resentment.

Of course, we know this is wrong. The doctrine is clear. We all depend on the Savior; none of us can be saved without Him. Christ’s Atonement is infinite and eternal. Forgiveness for our sins comes with conditions. We must repent, and we must be willing to forgive others. Jesus taught: “Forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not … [stands] condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin” Doctrine and Covenants 64:9 and “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” Matthew 5:7

Of course, these words seem perfectly reasonable—when applied to someone else. We can so clearly and easily see the harmful results that come when others judge and hold grudges. And we certainly don’t like it when people judge us.

But when it comes to our own prejudices and grievances, we too often justify our anger as righteous and our judgment as reliable and only appropriate. Though we cannot look into another’s heart, we assume that we know a bad motive or even a bad person when we see one. We make exceptions when it comes to our own bitterness because we feel that, in our case, we have all the information we need to hold someone else in contempt.