Has anyone ever sacrificed their own well-being to help you?
I always feel loved when people extend mercy to me, but when they sacrifice something in order to extend that mercy, I feel crazy loved.
On a recent broadcast of “The Mercy Minute,” Don Stephens tells the story of fighter pilot Colonel Bud Day, who survived the infamous prison camp in North Vietnam, Hanoi Hilton.
Day managed to escape once but was captured, and his Vietnamese guard broke his arm saying, “I told you I’d make you a cripple.” In order to destroy Day’s hopes of flying again, the guard purposely twisted Day’s arm so that his bone stuck out at an angle.
Risking severe punishment, his prison roommate reset Day’s arm—using bandages from his own leg wound. The arm healed perfectly, and Day went on to fly again upon release.
Who was this brave and kind roommate? Senator John McCain!
This kind of care and mercy is such a reflection of the sacrificial love God demonstrates with the cross.
And thanks to you, your listeners are encouraged to extend this mercy each and every day.
May the Lord open our eyes to the ways in which we can bring hope and healing to those around us … even if it comes at a cost.
“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” —John 15:12-13
