“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of your possession? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in showing clemency.” (Micah 7. 18)

Clemency is a beautiful word but not one that we use very often. The hebrew word is "hesed”, which means mercy, kindness or lovingkindness. The idea of God not retaining anger, of God showing forgiveness, kindness and mercy is not a new or foreign concept to any of us. But it is often overlooked, forgotten or ignored, because we find it hard to forgive ourselves. We harbour grudges against each other, we judge each other harshly and we judge ourselves the most harshly of all. But these characteristics are not of God. Rather clemency emanates from the being of God.