“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Matt. 5:7).
He was prisoner number 46664 and he served a 27-year sentence—18 of those years in forced hard labor, shackled to rock. He was given a small hammer and forced to break stones into gravel. The purpose, of course, was to break his spirit, to reduce him to something sub-human. However, with every swing of the hammer, Nelson Mandela’s spirit grew.
In fact, he continued to dream of a day when South Africa would be free. Yet his dream was not just for black South Africa, but for white South Africa, also. He dreamed of the merciful day when black and white together could build a new nation.
As Mandela pointed out in many ways, when one works with an enemy and decides to approach the relationship with mercy and forgiveness, enemies then become partners.
Jesus taught these principles, too. Mercy leads to mercy—or as we pray in the Lord’s prayer—we ask that God would forgive us our trespasses in the same way we forgive others their trespasses. Mercy leads to mercy. Life leads to life.
Every day, as we work with teenagers and leaders, it is important to remember that leading a merciful life is one of our goals. Without a forgiving spirit, much of life breaks apart, and we are held in chains, shackled to past hurts, unkind words and disagreements. Mercy releases us to live in a new way, and to find in friends and enemies partners for life.
