Micah 6:8

Years ago I walked into a church while on one of my meanderings. What would you know the choir was practising, and the anthem stuck with me. The words were simple, taken from Micah 6:8, " do justly, love mercy, walk humbly with your G-d." It stuck with me. It was simple, a distillation of the faith that I have tried to pursue all these years. Yet, it can be elusive too.

What is just and what is mercy seems to be a moving target. What one deems just, another may think unmerciful, and vice versa. An example of this would be watching two young siblings arguing with their parents over a decision. Sibling A screaming it is not fair, sibling B petitioning for the said decision not to be revoked. 

I know in my own life, I struggle constantly between speaking my mind and obeying my heart. That seems to be where just and mercy seems to reside respectively, doesn't it? The logic that weighs [coldly] the merits and demerits, versus the compassion that searches for redeeming qualities. It divides the soul, it divides a parish, it divides a nation if not nations. 

So many of our societal issues come down to a disagreement on what is just versus what is merciful - immigration, abortion, welfare for the mass. It can be polarizing, we fixate upon it, and the argument takes life on its own. 

Yet, despite all that strife, the reality is just and mercy reside in one body, the heart and mind cannot function without the other. More importantly, the constant communication between the two is what constitutes the most important aspect of being - our souls. 

Grace, salvation, redemption, atonement, none of these have meaning if we have no soul. And the soul cannot exist if just and mercy do not complement each other nicely. Therein is the key, how do we reconcile the two? I think the first thing we must do is acknowledge that they are not polar opposites, but partners. That one cannot exist without the other. 

Do justly, love mercy. Notice that they are action items. There is an agency to them, and we are the agents. We have been charged to do both. But perhaps what can reconcile the conflict we often feel when deciding between the two is the last part of that phrase, " walk humbly with your G-d". Walk humbly. Humbleness, humility. That is the tiebreaker.

See, too often, when we deliver justice, when we shell out love, there is a certain ego that comes with it. The power of agency, to have that ability or responsibility, comes with the understanding that "I" can, "I" am benevolent and wise, "I" can withhold love. That "I", it can be very obstructive when "I" can't stand down, when "my" view takes precedence. Suddenly, it is no longer about just and mercy, but about you versus me. The rules of self-preservation kick in, it-is-me-against-them mentality takes a firm grip and reshapes our realities, to the point that we no longer share realities. 

So, how do we break that vicious cycle, how do we get past all of it? By being humble, by taking "me" out of the equation, and surrender to a greater power, a greater cause, and a greater consciousness. It is not about me, it is not about you. This is what is asked of us. "Love mercy, do justly, walk humbly with your G-d". It is an ongoing action item, it is how we ought to navigate and negotiate much of the conflicts in our lives. Three things we should do constantly, and by G-d, I hope we can all learn to walk and chew gum at the same time.