Mickey Mantle, one of the most famous baseball players in the history of the sport, lived a very troubled and reckless life. For all the acclaim he received for his accomplishments on the field, Mickey Mantle was also an alcoholic and womanizer off the field. He openly admitted later in life to the damage his merciless and often cruel behavior caused family, friends and fans.

His friend and teammate, Bobby Richardson, was a major influence in Mantle becoming a born-again Christian later in life, resulting in a dramatic change. Still, his body had already suffered the consequences for choices made during his career. In 1995 he had a liver transplant due to the ravages of his alcoholism and newly discovered cancer.

One account of his life reported that after his liver transplant someone asked him if he would ever donate one of his organs to someone who needed it. His reply surprised everyone. “Everything I have is used up,” he said, “though some have said they’d like my heart because it’s never been used.”

Mickey Mantle understood, even though it took some time to reach that understanding, that a merciless heart is not a healthy or happy heart. Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Which bring us to the next hallmark of a healthy, guarded heart…

Hallmark #5: A MERCIFUL HEART

A heart that is characterized by humility, repentance, submission, and wholeheartedness is also a merciful or forgiving heart. When our appetites are focused on righteous choices, mercy will be a natural response to any hurt received from others because mercy has been shown to us. A merciful heart displays an attitude towards others that forgives because much has been forgiven. But it goes beyond that to a deliberate expression of mercy through kind generosity.

It is the kind of heart demonstrated by Bishop Myriel in the famous story, Les Miserables. When Jean Valjean, a stranger he had taken in, fed and given shelter, repaid his kindness by stealing some of his silverware, he went beyond forgiveness by telling the police not only that he had given the silverware to Valjean, but that Valjean had forgotten to take the candlesticks with him. His forgiveness and resulting mercy led to a transformation in the life of Jean Valjean. What kind of transformations would God perform through us if mercy and forgiveness characterized the attitude of our hearts?

A merciful heart involves more than simply saying, “I forgive you”. It takes forgiveness to another level. It actively seeks to show compassion and generosity to those who may have wronged us (including our adult children or their spouses). How would your grandchildren describe their view of your heart attitude toward their parents when you don’t share the same beliefs about faith, politics or other issues of life? Would they see a forgiving and merciful heart, or a condemning and judgmental heart?

It is a true statement that you cannot give what you do not have. If my heart is cold and desensitized to the heart of God because of unforgiveness, I shall not be much in a position to bless others and show them the power of God’s love and grace. An unforgiving heart clogs the conduit of God’s transforming grace and love that He wants to flow to others through us. None feel the impact of an unforgiving, unmerciful heart than our own families.

On the other hand, those who have learned the secret of forgiveness and mercy, will also show such mercy because they have received it themselves. Mercy begets mercy. Unforgiveness begets revenge and bitterness. Which attitude points our grandchildren toward the truth about who God is and how great is His mercy and kindness expressed towards us in Christ Jesus?

GrandPause: The noblest revenge is to forgive. –Thomas Fuller