It’s easy for me to care for my friends in need. They deserve it; they’ve been kind to me. It’s harder to care for those who I don’t know, and especially for those who I find unpleasant to be with or who have been unkind to me. Why should I be kind to them?

But our God is gracious and merciful. Grace and mercy both refer to something good going to someone undeserving, like a second or third or fifteenth chance. It’s love without limit or prequalification. God’s care for us isn’t limited to what we deserve.

Only when I recognize that I do not deserve God’s love, will I see the unlimited grace and mercy He extends to me. Only then will I be able to extend it to others, even and especially the undeserving.