Merit or Mercy
By Renaissance Girl
I am one of those people that struggles not to live on a merit system. Time and time again, I compare myself with those around me, and evaluate who gets what, and why I don’t have what I think I deserve.
This past weekend I had the opportunity to listen to a recording of the Community’s founders, Mother Cay and Mother Judy. I was too young to have taken in their teaching at the time, and it’s a gift to be able to hear their words — spoken to individuals who lived what they heard and became the founding generation of our Community.
There was a lot to take to heart, but one phrase stood out to me about my constant comparing. In speaking about control, Mother Judy said “you negate Jesus Christ when you live according to a merit system.”
It seems so clear, but hearing it again had a fresh impact. Why do I assume God’s role, and decide what I should and shouldn’t have? And where does that leave space for the mercy and love of God?
