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Are you familiar with the expression, "You need to cut him/her some slack?" Sometimes the hardest people to "cut some slack" for are our family members! God extends his mercy to us all the time. The gift of salvation, of redemption, earned for us by the life, death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus, is the greatest act of mercy. I wonder if we really appreciate this. We often cry out for justice, but what about mercy? Justice would demand that we are punished for our sins; mercy grants us forgiveness. Do we extend that same sense of forgiveness to our family and friends? Are we willing to listen to their side of the story when we are hurt? Family grudges can go on for years; friendships can be ended because of thoughtless actions. I know there were many days when I was teaching when I came home frustrated or upset because of the actions of students and was not a pleasant person to be around. I expected my children to understand and be kind to me! As I look back, I wonder how understanding I was of them when they had had a bad day at school! The fact that it works both ways is easy to forget. Neighborhoods can become war zones when the actions of one or two cause misunderstandings and no one is willing to listen or forgive. We all want others to understand us, to appreciate our differences, to forgive us our faults. As the year comes to a close this week, it’s a good time to reflect on our actions over the past year and see what improvements we might want to make in the year to come. It’s the year of mercy; let’s try to be a little kinder, a little more accepting, a little more merciful in the weeks and months ahead.Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for your mercy and forgiveness. Help me to act in the same way in the year to come. Amen.