A Lighter Way Week Four: A Little Mercy Now
Jun 14, 2026Reflection:
Every time I hear Mary Gauthier sing “Mercy Now” on the radio or at a concert, I am brought to tears. If I’m at home, I often fall to my knees, so moved am I by her entreaty to “use a little mercy now.” Those five words temper what threatens to overwhelm me. War. Political unrest. Homelessness. Social media saturation. An aging body. Gauthier reminds me that instead of despair and inaction, I can turn toward compassion and grace, both for my fellow pilgrims and for myself. It’s not always an easy shift, so day after day I must begin again.
As a highly sensitive person, I am easily thrown into sadness and anxiety when I see someone in need, hear a story of trauma, witness exclusionary behavior, or experience an undeserved slight. Beyond appropriate concern, I can become immobilized or despondent. So I am always on the lookout for any reading, practice, or habit that helps me develop life-giving responses to that which I cannot control. Whether it be immersing myself in scripture or poetry, walking the trails at a local nature preserve, spending time in silence, talking with well-grounded companions, or listening to a folk singer in Nashville.
“When sorrow and fear overwhelm us, the Spirit breathes courage, comfort, and peace.”
—Responsive call to worship, Brentwood United Methodist Church, Brentwood, Tennessee, June 7, 2026
Practice:
What does mercy look like to you? One definition of mercy is “lenient or compassionate treatment” (merriam-webster.com). How might you offer yourself, or another, some mercy this week? Take time to journal about your thoughts and experiences.
Blessing:
May mercy envelop us when we deserve it, spring from our souls when it’s needed by another, and embolden us to turn toward compassion and grace instead of judgment, criticism, or dismissal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De4mQMofejA
This fourth reflection comes from Amy-Lyles Wilson, Writer, Editor, Instructor, and Mentor for WTC's School of Spiritual Direction.
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