“He will also strengthen you to Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” – Psalm 23:6
Years ago, I saw a cartoon that caught my attention. In the cartoon, there were two businessmen, Mr. Smith, and Mr. Jones, walking down the street. Mr. Jones turns and looks at Mr. Smith rather quizzically; Mr. Smith responds, “They follow me wherever I go.” And up above Mr. Smith’s head was an angel of goodness and an angel of mercy. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” I thought, how would we act if our angels of mercy and goodness were visible? What would it change? Would race relations improve? Would we treat immigrants with dignity and respect? What would we do differently if it were visible to the naked eye that God’s goodness and love is for everyone? So, I pondered. I think initially the sight of angels of mercy and goodness would make a difference. People would probably treat each other with kindness and respect. But, once the novelty wore off, it would be back to BAU, business as usual.
Let’s play a little what-if. Imagine that I was walking down the street with my two angels in tow, and I approached you. What if your angel of mercy was bigger than mine? What if my angel of goodness had a brighter glow? Could you imagine what might go through my mind? Has God granted you more mercy than me? And you could possibly think that I had a higher grade of goodness than you.
I think that God intentionally did not give us outward visible signs of his goodness and mercy. God wanted our relationships with Him and with others to be from the heart. The condition of the heart has a direct relationship to the behavior and action of people. What is the condition of your heart? Take an inventory of the storehouses of your heart. Do you see goodness and mercy there or do you see the unmentionables, the unspeakable: hatred, malice, envy, and covetousness?
If we fill our hearts with good things, love, compassion, mercy, and thanksgiving, we can build a framework that will create future generations likewise. May it be so.
Lord, fill my heart with good things. Amen.
LaNella Smith is a member of New Creation UMC, an intentionally integrated congregation.