We Are Shaped By The Acts We Train Our Eyes To See

by Eric Elkin

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

— Matthew 5:7

Before he was president, Donald Trump was a regular guest on the Howard Stern Show. Between 1993 and 2015, Donald Trump appeared on the show 40 times. One could argue no person has interviewed Donald more than Howard. You may not like the shock jock, but he is recognized as one of the best interviewers in the media.

Years ago, I heard Stern share an observation that Trump doesn't care what you say about him; he just wants people talking about him. According to Stern and confirmed by Trump, even a person being made fun of regularly is the center of attention. Everyone sees them and listens to what they say.

I always think about this when listening to the former president's critics. The critics are providing Trump with precisely what he wants, attention. The late-night talk show hosts that make fun of him do two things. One, they keep his name in the center of life, and two, their jokes minimize his offenses as something to laugh at.

The situation has caused an ethical dilemma for me. Where do I draw the line between feeding the marketing machine and the responsibility of staying current with the impact of the legal issues? Often I feel like so much attention is placed on minor issues that the larger ones become white noise.

“I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.”

— Abraham Lincoln

The bigger question I want to ask this morning is different. What are you paying attention to in your life? Who and/or what do you spend your day focusing on? The center of our attention will shape the focus of our spirit. If you obsess over the negative, you will be a negative person.

The reading today is from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. The sermon begins with the Beatitudes, the Latin word for blessings. Sometimes, I find the Beatitudes confusing. This morning though, as I was praying through the text using the Pray As You Go app, an observation gave me some clarity. The speaker said Jesus calls our attention to those who often remain unseen.

Most commentators suggest the Greek word for Bless, makarios, means happy. Turns out that is not necessarily the case. It is probably more accurate to say bless means God's favor for certain actions and situations. We are being asked to see acts of mercy as honorable and life-changing. Those who see and focus on acts of mercy become merciful people.

Merciful people are not passive to injustice. Quite the contrary, people who focus on mercy, are more likely to stand up to tyrants. It is the reason Micah gave us a mandate,

He has told you, O mortal, what is good,

and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice and to love kindness

and to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8

Perhaps you can test this theory out. Today, as you walk through life, look for those people who are being merciful and see how it shapes your view of the world. I am confident if you see mercy, you will be merciful to a world starving for this alternative.

Click to read Matthew 5: 1-12