Choose Mercy not Bitterness

The last two days my scriptures have fallen open to verses about mercy. Having recently experienced people who have fallen into deep bitterness for injustices,  I have seen the damaging affects of choosing bitterness over mercy.

I love the definition of mercy. "That benevolence, mildness, or tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook injuries, or to treat an offender better than he deserves."

It is the natural woman in me to become bitter, angry, and seek revenge for someone who I feel has injured me. Another randomly discovered verse in scriptures yesterday helped me want to soften my heart. It talks about people who have a desire for happiness and people who have a desire for evil. As I look around me, I realize most people are just trying to find happiness and not necessarily want to be evil. Very few people are intentionally seeking to be evil.

We all make wrong choices thinking at the moment it will make us happy. That doesn't make us evil; just human. We all need to experience mercy. Bitterness makes it worse. I am grateful to be able to see the negative affects of bitterness. It helps motivate me to choose a different way. To choose mercy.