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1<!DOCTYPE html>
2<html lang="en">
3<head>
4<meta charset="UTF-8">
5<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
6<link rel="profile" href="http://gmpg.org/xfn/11">
7<link rel="pingback" href="https://mereinkling.net/xmlrpc.php">
8
9<title>Mercy &#8211; Mere Inkling Press</title>
10<script type="text/javascript">
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21<meta name='robots' content='max-image-preview:large' />
22
23<!-- Async WordPress.com Remote Login -->
24<script id="wpcom_remote_login_js">
25var wpcom_remote_login_extra_auth = '';
26function wpcom_remote_login_remove_dom_node_id( element_id ) {
27	var dom_node = document.getElementById( element_id );
28	if ( dom_node ) { dom_node.parentNode.removeChild( dom_node ); }
29}
30function wpcom_remote_login_remove_dom_node_classes( class_name ) {
31	var dom_nodes = document.querySelectorAll( '.' + class_name );
32	for ( var i = 0; i < dom_nodes.length; i++ ) {
33		dom_nodes[ i ].parentNode.removeChild( dom_nodes[ i ] );
34	}
35}
36function wpcom_remote_login_final_cleanup() {
37	wpcom_remote_login_remove_dom_node_classes( "wpcom_remote_login_msg" );
38	wpcom_remote_login_remove_dom_node_id( "wpcom_remote_login_key" );
39	wpcom_remote_login_remove_dom_node_id( "wpcom_remote_login_validate" );
40	wpcom_remote_login_remove_dom_node_id( "wpcom_remote_login_js" );
41	wpcom_remote_login_remove_dom_node_id( "wpcom_request_access_iframe" );
42	wpcom_remote_login_remove_dom_node_id( "wpcom_request_access_styles" );
43}
44
45// Watch for messages back from the remote login
46window.addEventListener( "message", function( e ) {
47	if ( e.origin === "https://r-login.wordpress.com" ) {
48		var data = {};
49		try {
50			data = JSON.parse( e.data );
51		} catch( e ) {
52			wpcom_remote_login_final_cleanup();
53			return;
54		}
55
56		if ( data.msg === 'LOGIN' ) {
57			// Clean up the login check iframe
58			wpcom_remote_login_remove_dom_node_id( "wpcom_remote_login_key" );
59
60			var id_regex = new RegExp( /^[0-9]+$/ );
61			var token_regex = new RegExp( /^.*|.*|.*$/ );
62			if (
63				token_regex.test( data.token )
64				&& id_regex.test( data.wpcomid )
65			) {
66				// We have everything we need to ask for a login
67				var script = document.createElement( "script" );
68				script.setAttribute( "id", "wpcom_remote_login_validate" );
69				script.src = '/remote-login.php?wpcom_remote_login=validate'
70					+ '&wpcomid=' + data.wpcomid
71					+ '&token=' + encodeURIComponent( data.token )
72					+ '&host=' + window.location.protocol
73					+ '//' + window.location.hostname
74					+ '&postid=2055'
75					+ '&is_singular=';
76				document.body.appendChild( script );
77			}
78
79			return;
80		}
81
82		// Safari ITP, not logged in, so redirect
83		if ( data.msg === 'LOGIN-REDIRECT' ) {
84			window.location = 'https://wordpress.com/log-in?redirect_to=' + window.location.href;
85			return;
86		}
87
88		// Safari ITP, storage access failed, remove the request
89		if ( data.msg === 'LOGIN-REMOVE' ) {
90			var css_zap = 'html { -webkit-transition: margin-top 1s; transition: margin-top 1s; } /* 9001 */ html { margin-top: 0 !important; } * html body { margin-top: 0 !important; } @media screen and ( max-width: 782px ) { html { margin-top: 0 !important; } * html body { margin-top: 0 !important; } }';
91			var style_zap = document.createElement( 'style' );
92			style_zap.type = 'text/css';
93			style_zap.appendChild( document.createTextNode( css_zap ) );
94			document.body.appendChild( style_zap );
95
96			var e = document.getElementById( 'wpcom_request_access_iframe' );
97			e.parentNode.removeChild( e );
98
99			document.cookie = 'wordpress_com_login_access=denied; path=/; max-age=31536000';
100
101			return;
102		}
103
104		// Safari ITP
105		if ( data.msg === 'REQUEST_ACCESS' ) {
106			console.log( 'request access: safari' );
107
108			// Check ITP iframe enable/disable knob
109			if ( wpcom_remote_login_extra_auth !== 'safari_itp_iframe' ) {
110				return;
111			}
112
113			// If we are in a "private window" there is no ITP.
114			var private_window = false;
115			try {
116				var opendb = window.openDatabase( null, null, null, null );
117			} catch( e ) {
118				private_window = true;
119			}
120
121			if ( private_window ) {
122				console.log( 'private window' );
123				return;
124			}
125
126			var iframe = document.createElement( 'iframe' );
127			iframe.id = 'wpcom_request_access_iframe';
128			iframe.setAttribute( 'scrolling', 'no' );
129			iframe.setAttribute( 'sandbox', 'allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation' );
130			iframe.src = 'https://r-login.wordpress.com/remote-login.php?wpcom_remote_login=request_access&origin=' + encodeURIComponent( data.origin ) + '&wpcomid=' + encodeURIComponent( data.wpcomid );
131
132			var css = 'html { -webkit-transition: margin-top 1s; transition: margin-top 1s; } /* 9001 */ html { margin-top: 46px !important; } * html body { margin-top: 46px !important; } @media screen and ( max-width: 660px ) { html { margin-top: 71px !important; } * html body { margin-top: 71px !important; } #wpcom_request_access_iframe { display: block; height: 71px !important; } } #wpcom_request_access_iframe { border: 0px; height: 46px; position: fixed; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; min-width: 100%; z-index: 99999; background: #23282d; } ';
133
134			var style = document.createElement( 'style' );
135			style.type = 'text/css';
136			style.id = 'wpcom_request_access_styles';
137			style.appendChild( document.createTextNode( css ) );
138			document.body.appendChild( style );
139
140			document.body.appendChild( iframe );
141		}
142
143		if ( data.msg === 'DONE' ) {
144			wpcom_remote_login_final_cleanup();
145		}
146	}
147}, false );
148
149// Inject the remote login iframe after the page has had a chance to load
150// more critical resources
151window.addEventListener( "DOMContentLoaded", function( e ) {
152	var iframe = document.createElement( "iframe" );
153	iframe.style.display = "none";
154	iframe.setAttribute( "scrolling", "no" );
155	iframe.setAttribute( "id", "wpcom_remote_login_key" );
156	iframe.src = "https://r-login.wordpress.com/remote-login.php"
157		+ "?wpcom_remote_login=key"
158		+ "&origin=aHR0cHM6Ly9tZXJlaW5rbGluZy5uZXQ%3D"
159		+ "&wpcomid=26930382"
160		+ "&time=" + Math.floor( Date.now() / 1000 );
161	document.body.appendChild( iframe );
162}, false );
163</script>
163
164<link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//s2.wp.com' />
165<link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//widgets.wp.com' />
166<link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//fonts-api.wp.com' />
167<link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//s1.wp.com' />
168<link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//s0.wp.com' />
169<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Mere Inkling Press &raquo; Feed" href="https://mereinkling.net/feed/" />
170<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Mere Inkling Press &raquo; Comments Feed" href="https://mereinkling.net/comments/feed/" />
171<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Mere Inkling Press &raquo; Mercy Comments Feed" href="https://mereinkling.net/mercy/feed/" />
172	
172<script type="text/javascript">
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174		function addLoadEvent(func) {
175			var oldonload = window.onload;
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179				window.onload = function () {
180					oldonload();
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186
187	<style id="wp-img-auto-sizes-contain-inline-css">
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192<style id="wp-emoji-styles-inline-css">
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194	img.wp-smiley, img.emoji {
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220<style id="classic-theme-styles-inline-css">
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232/*# sourceURL=global-styles-inline-css */
233</style>
234
235<link crossorigin='anonymous' rel='stylesheet' id='all-css-14-1' href='/wp-content/mu-plugins/jetpack-mu-wpcom-plugin/sun/jetpack_vendor/automattic/jetpack-mu-wpcom/src/build/verbum-comments/verbum-comments.css?m=1785880900i&cssminify=yes' type='text/css' media='all' />
236<link rel='stylesheet' id='verbum-gutenberg-css-css' href='https://widgets.wp.com/verbum-block-editor/block-editor.css?ver=1771405207' media='all' />
237<link crossorigin='anonymous' rel='stylesheet' id='all-css-16-1' href='/wp-content/themes/pub/lovecraft/style.css?m=1758759644
237i&cssminify=yes' type='text/css' media='all' />
238<style id="lovecraft-style-inline-css">
239.cat-links, .tags-links { clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px); height: 1px; position: absolute; overflow: hidden; width: 1px; }
240/*# sourceURL=lovecraft-style-inline-css */
241</style>
242<link rel='stylesheet' id='lovecraft-fonts-css' href='https://fonts-api.wp.com/css?family=Playfair+Display%3A400%2C700%2C400italic%7CLato%3A400%2C400italic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic&#038;subset=latin%2Clatin-ext&#038;ver=7.1.1-alpha-63587' media='all' />
243<link crossorigin='anonymous' rel='stylesheet' id='all-css-18-1' href='/_static/??-eJx9jsEKwjAQRH/IuO2h9iR+iqTLNqYmm5DdWPx7U/BQUbzNg3nDwJoNJlZihVhNDtV5FlhIs8X7m0Eqw9UzgiOm4psgv+MRRQ6w29QbRRLIdYKQHoTFzgrbkugzkFkzpvgl7Y4UmkJyLTporR3+kxwlExJa9Yk/wMzB+rKpl3jux7E/dePQDcsLbIxiDg==&cssminify=yes' type='text/css' media='all' />
244<link crossorigin='anonymous' rel='stylesheet' id='print-css-19-1' href='/wp-content/mu-plugins/global-print/global-print.css?m=1465851035i&cssminify=yes' type='text/css' media='print' />
245<style id="jetpack-global-styles-frontend-style-inline-css">
246:root { --font-headings: unset; --font-base: unset; --font-headings-default: -apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Oxygen-Sans,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"Helvetica Neue",sans-serif; --font-base-default: -apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Oxygen-Sans,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;}
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455							<a href="https://mereinkling.net/" class="site-logo-link" rel="home" itemprop="url"></a>						<h1 class="site-title"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/" rel="home">Mere Inkling Press</a></h1>
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495	<li id="menu-item-2130" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-2130"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/odes/ode-six/">Ode Six</a></li>
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516			<li id="menu-item-2205" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-2205"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/civil-war/fifth-iowa-infantry/fifth-infantry-history/fifth-infantry-expanded-history/">Fifth Infantry Expanded History</a></li>
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520		<li id="menu-item-2215" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-2215"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/fifth-infantry-biographies/">Fifth Infantry Biographies</a></li>
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559			<h1 class="entry-title">Mercy</h1>		</header><!-- .entry-header -->
560
561		<div class="entry-content">
562			<p><strong><img data-attachment-id="2056" data-permalink="https://mereinkling.net/mercy/pascal-lamb/" data-orig-file="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/pascal-lamb.jpg" data-orig-size="500,468" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-title="pascal lamb" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/pascal-lamb.jpg?w=500" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-2056" src="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/pascal-lamb.jpg?w=300&#038;h=280" alt="pascal lamb" width="300" height="280" srcset="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/pascal-lamb.jpg?w=300 300w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/pascal-lamb.jpg?w=150 150w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/pascal-lamb.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />It’s All about Mercy</strong></p>
563<p>Christianity is quite different than other religions.</p>
564<p style="padding-left:30px;">It isn’t about obedience.</p>
565<p style="padding-left:30px;">It isn’t about self-actualization.</p>
566<p style="padding-left:30px;">It isn’t about transcending our human nature.</p>
567<p>No, Christianity is all about mercy. Mercy grounded in God’s inexhaustible love.</p>
568<p>Now, this amazing fact does not mean that God is unconcerned with holy living or personal growth. He created man and woman with those qualities deeply imbedded in our human nature. He created us to walk in the Garden beside him and enjoy the undefiled creation surrounding us.</p>
569<p>Unfortunately, our first parents decided to disobey the single prohibition the Lord laid before them. They failed to trust his warning that eating from “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” would cause death (Genesis 3).</p>
570<p>It’s important to note that it was not knowledge God desired to withhold from his children—in contrast, he instilled within each of us a desire to learn and grow in knowledge and wisdom—it was the knowledge “of good and evil.” Prior to eating the forbidden fruit, humanity had known only “good,” and had lived in right relationship with our Creator.</p>
571<p>God, however, was not content to allow woman and man to languish under their self-imposed death sentence. He promised a Savior, one who would freely offer his own pure and unblemished life as the final and complete sacrifice for our sins. Through his substitutionary suffering, <em>we would receive life</em>. Once again, in Christ, we are reunited with God in an unbroken and unbreakable relationship. As the murderer turned saint, Paul of Tarsus, proclaimed,</p>
572<p style="padding-left:30px;">I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39).</p>
573<p>And so it is that imperfect, stumbling Christians seek to follow in the footsteps of their Lord. We do so, not to <em>earn</em> the love of God. That is already ours.</p>
574<p>We strive to live holy lives out of gratitude to God for his innumerable gifts.</p>
575<p>We do not live as virtuously as possible because we need our good works to outweigh our shortcomings.</p>
576<p>We try to be faithful disciples of Jesus simply because we love him and want to please our heavenly Father.</p>
577<p>There is no balancing scale, as imagined in so many religions conceived of in the minds of human beings from the ancient Egyptians on into our own day.</p>
578<p>It’s not about being “good enough.” It’s about mercy.</p>
579<p><strong>The Relationship Between Law &amp; Gospel</strong></p>
580<p>Christians describe the interplay between the demands of God that we be holy, even as he is holy (the Law) and the fact that we are unable to do so which requires us to depend on his grace (the Gospel), with various terms.</p>
581<p>I happen to believe that the historic Reformation (Lutheran) terms are biblical, and clear.</p>
582<p>I described them in the previous section. Now we will look at the same truths with a bit more “theological” language.</p>
583<p>God’s Law is composed of his demands for holiness. In the Garden it was simple. There was only a single prohibition, and that existed to allow us the freedom of choice. God did not desire soulless automatons who would go through the motions of relationship without the capacity to genuinely offer it. Even the angels themselves were given free wills, and some chose to trade the glories of heaven for the futile exaltation of themselves.</p>
584<p>God eventually provided us with a more comprehensive sense of his desires for how we ought to live. These were literally written in stone, and elaborated upon through his prophets.</p>
585<p>But we could not measure up to the requirements of the Law, and sacrifice became necessary to temporarily absolve us of our guilt. The
585se animals died to remind us that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin, because “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6.23).</p>
586<p>These Passover lambs and other sacrifices reminded us of the serious consequences of our trespasses against our Creator. And, they prepared us for the ultimate sacrifice of the perfect Lamb, whose death (and resurrection) would mark the end of our need for further sacrifice.</p>
587<p>Jesus’ death, as gruesome as it was, was the heart of the Gospel miracle. Through it, those who trust in him, recognize the “good news” that we have been forgiven. To complete the verse we just cited from Romans, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).</p>
588<p>It is a gift. It can’t be earned. It can’t be purchased. It can’t be stolen. It can only be accepted with gratitude and without the illusion that it is anything but an undeserved gift.</p>
589<p>And that is why it is all about mercy.</p>
590<p><strong>The Role of the Law in Christian Life</strong></p>
591<p>The tendency towards being self-righteous is deeply ingrained in the fallen human soul. Even when we admit that we need forgiveness, we are constantly tempted to think “I’m not as bad as my neighbor.” We want to hold onto the lie that there is some intrinsic merit within us that caused us to be chosen by God to become his child.</p>
592<p>Because of this, the question of the Law in the Christian life can be a confusing and potentially dangerous subject. It becomes hazardous whenever we are tempted to think that following the dictates of the Law can make us righteous or more deserving of God’s grace.</p>
593<p>The Scriptures teach that the Law plays several roles.</p>
594<p style="padding-left:30px;">The first is restraining evil impulses, “that thereby outward discipline might be maintained against wild, disobedient men.”</p>
595<p style="padding-left:30px;">The second is reminding us of our need for redemption, “that men thereby may be led to the knowledge of their sins.”</p>
596<p style="padding-left:30px;">The third is as a guide for believers in the life to which they should aspire, “that after they are regenerate and [much of] the flesh notwithstanding cleaves to them, they might on this account have a fixed rule according to which they are to regulate and direct their whole life.”</p>
597<p style="padding-left:30px;">[The quotations above come from Article Six of the <a href="http://bookofconcord.org/fc-ep.php#V.%20Law%20and%20Gospel" target="_blank"><em>Formula of Concord</em></a>.]</p>
598<p>The Law never supersedes the Gospel. On the contrary, the Gospel trumps the power of the Law to condemn. It’s all about mercy.</p>
599<p>A prominent Lutheran theologian emphasized this truth when he taught future pastors: “You are not rightly distinguishing Law and Gospel in the Word of God if you do not allow the Gospel to predominate in your teaching.”</p>
600<p>It is of utmost importance to understand that the so-called third use of the Law is not telling us how to earn God’s love or deserve his grace. It says that we can look to the Law—for example, the importance of avoiding adultery—as a fundamental principle for the kind of life that pleases God. And, too few people understand this, a primary reason a holy life delights our Father is because it brings joy and health to us as well. God, after all, did not forbid things arbitrarily, but because they were destructive to us and our relationships.</p>
601<p>In a very pastoral manner, C.S. Lewis offers the following advice to a young correspondent.</p>
602<p style="padding-left:30px;">One mustn’t make the Christian life into a punctilious system of law, like the Jewish. Two reasons (1) It raises scruples when we don’t keep the routine (2) It raises presumption when we do. Nothing gives one a more spuriously good conscience than keeping rules, even if there has been a total absence of all real charity &amp; faith.</p>
603<p>If you would like to leave a comment below, please do so. If you would prefer to contact me directly with a question or comment, feel free to use the form on my About page.</p>
604<p>It is my sincere prayer that reading the pages of Mere Inkling will bring you more than an occasional smile. Likewise, while I hope some of the ideas here will stimulate your creativity, I desire more.</p>
605<p>I pray that Mere Inkling will inspire those who share the Christian faith of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. I pray that it will encourage those who are struggling with the trials that assail all of our lives. And I most earnestly pray that it may introduce to those who do not yet know him, the Pascal Lamb upon whom the Lion of Narnia is modeled.</p>
606<p>In closing, allow me to share with you one of the most wonderful verses in the entire Bible.</p>
607<p>“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:17).</p>
608<p>Never, ever forget—it is all about mercy.</p>
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630					<h2 class="comments-title">
631				13 thoughts on &ldquo;<span>Mercy</span>&rdquo;			</h2>
632
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636		<p>Pingback: <a href="https://mereinkling.wordpress.com/2014/09/04/a-caveat-about-caveats/" class="url" rel="ugc external nofollow">A Caveat about Caveats &laquo; Mere Inkling</a> </p>
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642					<img referrerpolicy="no-referrer" alt='leroyng&#039;s avatar' src='https://0.gravatar.com/avatar/f969e95c2a8a47ca16e5f2030b556e5e8446ea5b2c13fa9d107a01722c1d57da?s=60&#038;d=identicon&#038;r=G' srcset='https://0.gravatar.com/avatar/f969e95c2a8a47ca16e5f2030b556e5e8446ea5b2c13fa9d107a01722c1d57da?s=60&#038;d=identicon&#038;r=G 1x, https://0.gravatar.com/avatar/f969e95c2a8a47ca16e5f2030b556e5e8446ea5b2c13fa9d107a01722c1d57da?s=90&#038;d=identicon&#038;r=G 1.5x, https://0.gravatar.com/avatar/f969e95c2a8a47ca16e5f2030b556e5e8446ea5b2c13fa9d107a01722c1d57da?s=120&#038;d=identicon&#038;r=G 2x, https://0.gravatar.com/avatar/f969e95c2a8a47ca16e5f2030b556e5e8446ea5b2c13fa9d107a01722c1d57da?s=180&#038;d=identicon&#038;r=G 3x, https://0.gravatar.com/avatar/f969e95c2a8a47ca16e5f2030b556e5e8446ea5b2c13fa9d107a01722c1d57da?s=240&#038;d=identicon&#038;r=G 4x' class='avatar avatar-60' height='60' width='60' decoding='async' />					<b class="fn">leroyng</b>				</div><!-- .comment-author -->
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647				<p>What about grace? Grace and Mercy &#8211; two sides of the the same gospel of Jesus Christ.</p>
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652					<time datetime="2015-12-18T03:27:45-08:00">
653						December 18, 2015 at 3:27 am					</time>
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667				<p>Great question, Leroy. I am speaking of mercy here as subordinate to&#8211;or more accurately&#8211;an essential element of Grace. In a sense the two can be synonyms, but secular society has provided a completely non-religious definition for the former. Grace is the underserved favor of God. Mercy, however, is the clearest way that not-yet-believers are able to perceive God&#8217;s love.</p>
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673						December 18, 2015 at 7:10 am					</time>
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687				<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If a word describes God, it is Mercy, that extra reach of His Arm, pulling me back from my spear that goes in His rib. </p>
688<p class="wp-block-paragraph">&#8220;Mercy and Grace &#8211; 2 sides of a Coin -&#8221; in the currency of Heaven: The Alpha and the Omega.</p>
689<p class="wp-block-paragraph">thankyou for another Stilling Post⚓</p>
690<p class="wp-block-paragraph">
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695					<time datetime="2024-10-02T00:37:29-07:00">
696						October 2, 2024 at 12:37 am					</time>
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710				<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I&#8217;m pleased you found the &#8220;stilling.&#8221; That is a profound adjective, and quite apropos when it comes to meditating on God&#8217;s infinite mercy.</p>
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716						October 2, 2024 at 2:48 pm					</time>
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729					<img referrerpolicy="no-referrer" alt='Carol Ashby&#039;s avatar' src='https://2.gravatar.com/avatar/56764de5d4d479dbfd2b6a98216da2e0363372491a1ee72f3f7959699cbc09a7?s=60&#038;d=identicon&#038;r=G' srcset='https://2.gravatar.com/avatar/56764de5d4d479dbfd2b6a98216da2e0363372491a1ee72f3f7959699cbc09a7?s=60&#038;d=identicon&#038;r=G 1x, https://2.gravatar.com/avatar/56764de5d4d479dbfd2b6a98216da2e0363372491a1ee72f3f7959699cbc09a7?s=90&#038;d=identicon&#038;r=G 1.5x, https://2.gravatar.com/avatar/56764de5d4d479dbfd2b6a98216da2e0363372491a1ee72f3f7959699cbc09a7?s=120&#038;d=identicon&#038;r=G 2x, https://2.gravatar.com/avatar/56764de5d4d479dbfd2b6a98216da2e0363372491a1ee72f3f7959699cbc09a7?s=180&#038;d=identicon&#038;r=G 3x, https://2.gravatar.com/avatar/56764de5d4d479dbfd2b6a98216da2e0363372491a1ee72f3f7959699cbc09a7?s=240&#038;d=identicon&#038;r=G 4x' class='avatar avatar-60' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async' />					<b class="fn"><a href="http://carolashby.com" class="url" rel="ugc external nofollow">Carol Ashby</a></b>				</div><!-- .comment-author -->
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734				<p>Great post, Rob.</p>
735<p>There are three kinds of response to wrongdoing:<br />
736Justice: Getting what we deserve for the things we&#8217;ve done wrong.<br />
737Mercy: Not getting what we deserve for the things we&#8217;ve done wrong.<br />
738Grace: Getting wonderful things we don&#8217;t deserve even though we&#8217;ve done wrong.</p>
739<p>What Jesus did for us goes way beyond mercy to full-blown grace!</p>
740			</div><!-- .comment-content -->
741
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743				<a href="https://mereinkling.net/mercy/#comment-7546">
744					<time datetime="2016-09-13T13:37:30-07:00">
745						September 13, 2016 at 1:37 pm					</time>
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754					<img referrerpolicy="no-referrer" alt='robstroud&#039;s avatar' src='https://0.gravatar.com/avatar/c83aa3ab5bc3c13ebfa400e506246c166cfce12e0122178c90e0deb1f0693f2d?s=60&#038;d=identicon&#038;r=G' srcset='https://0.gravatar.com/avatar/c83aa3ab5bc3c13ebfa400e506246c166cfce12e0122178c90e0deb1f0693f2d?s=60&#038;d=identicon&#038;r=G 1x, https://0.gravatar.com/avatar/c83aa3ab5bc3c13ebfa400e506246c166cfce12e0122178c90e0deb1f0693f2d?s=90&#038;d=identicon&#038;r=G 1.5x, https://0.gravatar.com/avatar/c83aa3ab5bc3c13ebfa400e506246c166cfce12e0122178c90e0deb1f0693f2d?s=120&#038;d=identicon&#038;r=G 2x, https://0.gravatar.com/avatar/c83aa3ab5bc3c13ebfa400e506246c166cfce12e0122178c90e0deb1f0693f2d?s=180&#038;d=identicon&#038;r=G 3x, https://0.gravatar.com/avatar/c83aa3ab5bc3c13ebfa400e506246c166cfce12e0122178c90e0deb1f0693f2d?s=240&#038;d=identicon&#038;r=G 4x' class='avatar avatar-60' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async' />					<b class="fn"><a href="https://mereinkling.wordpress.com" class="url" rel="ugc external nofollow">robstroud</a></b>				</div><!-- .comment-author -->
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759				<p>Amen!</p>
760			</div><!-- .comment-content -->
761
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764					<time datetime="2016-09-13T14:05:56-07:00">
765						September 13, 2016 at 2:05 pm					</time>
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781				<p>Very good article. I find in my fiction that my themes turns to mercy without any intention on my part. It just seems to make sense within the stories.</p>
782			</div><!-- .comment-content -->
783
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785				<a href="https://mereinkling.net/mercy/#comment-14796">
786					<time datetime="2020-06-25T16:49:18-07:00">
787						June 25, 2020 at 4:49 pm					</time>
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801				<p>And that&#8217;s a very good thing indeed. Without mercy and forgiveness, no relationship would be possible.</p>
802			</div><!-- .comment-content -->
803
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806					<time datetime="2020-06-25T22:14:57-07:00">
807						June 25, 2020 at 10:14 pm					</time>
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815		<p>Pingback: <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2022/12/20/resurrection-bodies-angels-c-s-lewis/" class="url" rel="ugc">Resurrection Bodies, Angels &amp; C.S. Lewis &laquo; Mere Inkling Press</a> </p>
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826				<p>You make an excellent case for God&#8217;s mercy being over all!   I praise God for it!</p>
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828
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831					<time datetime="2023-09-01T13:46:59-07:00">
832						September 1, 2023 at 1:46 pm					</time>
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838		<p>Pingback: <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2024/06/12/c-s-lewis-longevity/" class="url" rel="ugc">C.S. Lewis &amp; Longevity &#8211; Mere Inkling Press</a> </p>
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841		<p>Pingback: <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/05/02/a-curious-papal-funerary-tradition/" class="url" rel="ugc">A Curious Papal Funerary Tradition &#8211; Mere Inkling Press</a> </p>
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1072				Gravatar.init(
1073					'body',
1074					'#wp-admin-bar-my-account',
1075					{
1076						i18n: {
1077							'Edit your profile →': 'Edit your profile →',
1078							'View profile →': 'View profile →',
1079							'Contact': 'Contact',
1080							'Send money': 'Send money',
1081							'Sorry, we are unable to load this Gravatar profile.': 'Sorry, we are unable to load this Gravatar profile.',
1082							'Gravatar not found.': 'Gravatar not found.',
1083							'Too Many Requests.': 'Too Many Requests.',
1084							'Internal Server Error.': 'Internal Server Error.',
1085							'Is this you?': 'Is this you?',
1086							'Claim your free profile.': 'Claim your free profile.',
1087							'Email': 'Email',
1088							'Home Phone': 'Home Phone',
1089							'Work Phone': 'Work Phone',
1090							'Cell Phone': 'Cell Phone',
1091							'Contact Form': 'Contact Form',
1092							'Calendar': 'Calendar',
1093						},
1094					}
1095				);
1096			}
1097
1098			if ( document.readyState !== 'loading' ) {
1099				init();
1100			} else {
1101				document.addEventListener( 'DOMContentLoaded', init );
1102			}
1103		} )();
1104	</script>
1104
1105
1106		<div style="display:none">
1107	<div class="grofile-hash-map-64c72fa4b3bc0593cd9a3732dce5becc">
1108	</div>
1109	<div class="grofile-hash-map-f8baf1ca908563c115818868f613ccdc">
1110	</div>
1111	<div class="grofile-hash-map-57858b38a675a62bf0de504b50450acb">
1112	</div>
1113	<div class="grofile-hash-map-60dbc8be1cf0b887eb9873f9fea192c2">
1114	</div>
1115	<div class="grofile-hash-map-90c6e3ae9ad1a3c4ac862874d070f477">
1116	</div>
1117	<div class="grofile-hash-map-c80e000ea05ff7e88b2869b847ec395e">
1118	</div>
1119	</div>
1120			<div id="actionbar" dir="ltr" style="display: none;"
1121				class="actnbr-pub-lovecraft" role="region" aria-label="Site actions">
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1123			<ul>
1124										<li class="actnbr-btn actnbr-hidden">
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1127			</a>
1128			<a class="actnbr-action actnbr-actn-following  no-display" href="" role="button">
1129				<svg class="actnbr-icon actnbr-icon-check" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" style="fill: none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.5"><path d="M7 12L10 15L17 8" vector-effect="non-scaling-stroke"/></svg>				<span>Subscribed</span>
1130			</a>
1131									<div class="actnbr-popover actnbr-panel actnbr-notice" id="follow-bubble" role="dialog" aria-label="Subscribe to Mere Inkling Press">
1132								<div class="actnbr-follow-bubble">
1133								<div class="actnbr-panel__group"><a class="actnbr-menu__item actnbr-sitename" href="https://mereinkling.net"><img loading='lazy' alt='' src='https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/small-lion-copy.png?w=50' srcset='https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/small-lion-copy.png?w=50 1x, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/small-lion-copy.png?w=75 1.5x, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/small-lion-copy.png?w=100 2x, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/small-lion-copy.png?w=150 3x, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/small-lion-copy.png?w=200 4x' class='avatar avatar-50' height='50' width='50' /><span class="actnbr-menu__label">Mere Inkling Press</span></a></div>																	<div class="actnbr-panel__group">
1134										<div class="actnbr-message no-display" aria-live="polite"></div>
1135										<form method="post" action="https://subscribe.wordpress.com" accept-charset="utf-8" class="no-display">
1136																							<div class="actnbr-follow-count">Join 2,112 other subscribers</div>
1137																							<input type="email" name="email" placeholder="Want updates? Enter your email" class="actnbr-email-field" aria-label="Email address" />
1138											<input type="hidden" name="action" value="subscribe" />
1139											<input type="hidden" name="blog_id" value="26930382" />
1140											<input type="hidden" name="source" value="https://mereinkling.net/mercy/" />
1141											<input type="hidden" name="sub-type" value="actionbar-follow" />
1142											<input type="hidden" id="_wpnonce" name="_wpnonce" value="01467da40e" />											<button type="submit" class="actnbr-button">Sign me up</button>
1143										</form>
1144										<p class="actnbr-login-nudge">
1145											Have a WordPress.com account? <a href="https://wordpress.com/log-in?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fr-login.wordpress.com%2Fremote-login.php%3Faction%3Dlink%26back%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fmereinkling.net%252Fmercy%252F">Log in now.</a>										</p>
1146									</div>
1147																	</div>
1148							</div>
1149						</li>
1150									<li class="actnbr-ellipsis actnbr-hidden">
1151					<button type="button" class="actnbr-more-toggle" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false" aria-label="More options">
1152						<svg class="actnbr-icon actnbr-icon-more-horizontal" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" fill="currentColor"><path d="M11 13h2v-2h-2v2zm-6 0h2v-2H5v2zm12-2v2h2v-2h-2z"/></svg>					</button>
1153					<div class="actnbr-popover actnbr-menu" role="menu" aria-label="Site options">
1154						<div class="actnbr-menu__group" role="group"><a role="menuitem" class="actnbr-menu__item actnbr-sitename" href="https://mereinkling.net"><img loading='lazy' alt='' src='https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/small-lion-copy.png?w=50' srcset='https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/small-lion-copy.png?w=50 1x, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/small-lion-copy.png?w=75 1.5x, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/small-lion-copy.png?w=100 2x, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/small-lion-copy.png?w=150 3x, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/small-lion-copy.png?w=200 4x' class='avatar avatar-50' height='50' width='50' /><span class="actnbr-menu__label">Mere Inkling Press</span></a></div><div class="actnbr-menu__group" role="group"><a role="menuitem" class="actnbr-menu__item actnbr-shortlink" href="https://wp.me/P1OZP0-x9"><span class="actnbr-menu__label actnbr-shortlink__text">Copy shortlink</span><span class="actnbr-menu__icon actnbr-shortlink__icon"><svg class="actnbr-icon actnbr-icon-copy" width="18" height="18" viewBox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" fill="currentColor"><path fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" d="M5 4.5h11a.5.5 0 0 1 .5.5v11a.5.5 0 0 1-.5.5H5a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V5a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5ZM3 5a2 2 0 0 1 2-2h11a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v11a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H5a2 2 0 0 1-2-2V5Zm17 3v10.75c0 .69-.56 1.25-1.25 1.25H6v1.5h12.75a2.75 2.75 0 0 0 2.75-2.75V8H20Z"/></svg></span><span class="actnbr-menu__icon actnbr-shortlink__icon-copied"><svg class="actnbr-icon actnbr-icon-check" width="18" height="18" viewBox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" style="fill: none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.5"><path d="M7 12L10 15L17 8" vector-effect="non-scaling-stroke"/></svg></span></a><a role="menuitem" class="actnbr-menu__item actnbr-reader" href="https://wordpress.com/reader/blogs/26930382/posts/2055"><span class="actnbr-menu__label">View post in Reader</span></a></div><div class="actnbr-menu__group" role="group"><a role="menuitem" class="actnbr-menu__item actnbr-subs" href="https://subscribe.wordpress.com/"><span class="actnbr-menu__label">Manage subscriptions</span></a><a role="menuitem" class="actnbr-menu__item actnbr-signup" href="https://wordpress.com/start/"><span class="actnbr-menu__label">Sign up</span></a><a role="menuitem" class="actnbr-menu__item actnbr-login" href="https://wordpress.com/log-in?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fr-login.wordpress.com%2Fremote-login.php%3Faction%3Dlink%26back%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fmereinkling.net%252Fmercy%252F"><span class="actnbr-menu__label">Log in</span></a></div><div class="actnbr-menu__group" role="group"><a role="menuitem" class="actnbr-menu__item flb-report" href="https://wordpress.com/abuse/?report_url=https://mereinkling.net/mercy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span class="actnbr-menu__label">Report this content</span><span class="actnbr-menu__icon"><svg class="actnbr-icon actnbr-icon-external" width="18" height="18" viewBox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" fill="currentColor"><path d="M19.5 4.5h-7V6h4.44l-5.97 5.97 1.06 1.06L18 7.06v4.44h1.5v-7Zm-13 1a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v10a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h10a2 2 0 0 0 2-2v-3H17v3a.5.5 0 0 1-.5.5h-10a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5v-10a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h3V5.5h-3Z"/></svg></span></a></div><div class="actnbr-menu__group" role="group"><a role="menuitem" class="actnbr-menu__item actnbr-fold" href=""><span class="actnbr-menu__label">Collapse this bar</span></a></div>					</div>
1155				</li>
1156			</ul>
1157		</div>
1158		
1158<script>
1159window.addEventListener( "DOMContentLoaded", function () {
1160				var link = document.createElement( "link" );
1161				link.href = "\/wp-content\/mu-plugins\/jetpack-plugin\/sun\/jetpack_vendor\/automattic\/jetpack-newsletter\/src\/..\/build\/action-bar.css?ver=9e2715140ce0af99d983";
1162				link.rel = "stylesheet";
1163				document.head.appendChild( link );
1164
1165				var script = document.createElement( "script" );
1166				script.src = "\/wp-content\/mu-plugins\/jetpack-plugin\/sun\/jetpack_vendor\/automattic\/jetpack-newsletter\/src\/..\/build\/action-bar.js?ver=9e2715140ce0af99d983";
1167				document.body.appendChild( script );
1168			} );
1169</script>
1169
1170<link rel="prefetch" href="/wp-content/mu-plugins/jetpack-plugin/sun/_inc/blocks/swiper.js" as="script" />
1171		<div id="jp-carousel-loading-overlay" style="display: none;">
1172			<div id="jp-carousel-loading-wrapper">
1173				<span id="jp-carousel-library-loading"><svg class="jetpack-spinner" width="40" height="40" viewBox="0 0 100 100" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><circle cx="50" cy="50" r="46" fill="none" stroke="#ddd" stroke-width="8"/><path d="M 50 4 A 46 46 0 0 1 96 50" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="8" stroke-linecap="round"><animateTransform attributeName="transform" type="rotate" dur="1.4s" from="0 50 50" to="360 50 50" repeatCount="indefinite"/></path></svg></span>
1174			</div>
1175		</div>
1176		<div class="jp-carousel-overlay" style="display: none;">
1177
1178		<div class="jp-carousel-container">
1179			<!-- The Carousel Swiper -->
1180			<div
1181				class="jp-carousel-wrap swiper jp-carousel-swiper-container jp-carousel-transitions"
1182				itemscope
1183				itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageGallery">
1184				<div class="jp-carousel swiper-wrapper"></div>
1185				<div class="jp-swiper-button-prev swiper-button-prev">
1186					<svg width="25" height="24" viewBox="0 0 25 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
1187						<mask id="maskPrev" mask-type="alpha" maskUnits="userSpaceOnUse" x="8" y="6" width="9" height="12">
1188							<path d="M16.2072 16.59L11.6496 12L16.2072 7.41L14.8041 6L8.8335 12L14.8041 18L16.2072 16.59Z" fill="white"/>
1189						</mask>
1190						<g mask="url(#maskPrev)">
1191							<rect x="0.579102" width="23.8823" height="24" fill="#FFFFFF"/>
1192						</g>
1193					</svg>
1194				</div>
1195				<div class="jp-swiper-button-next swiper-button-next">
1196					<svg width="25" height="24" viewBox="0 0 25 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
1197						<mask id="maskNext" mask-type="alpha" maskUnits="userSpaceOnUse" x="8" y="6" width="8" height="12">
1198							<path d="M8.59814 16.59L13.1557 12L8.59814 7.41L10.0012 6L15.9718 12L10.0012 18L8.59814 16.59Z" fill="white"/>
1199						</mask>
1200						<g mask="url(#maskNext)">
1201							<rect x="0.34375" width="23.8822" height="24" fill="#FFFFFF"/>
1202						</g>
1203					</svg>
1204				</div>
1205			</div>
1206			<!-- The main close buton -->
1207			<div class="jp-carousel-close-hint">
1208				<svg width="25" height="24" viewBox="0 0 25 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
1209					<mask id="maskClose" mask-type="alpha" maskUnits="userSpaceOnUse" x="5" y="5" width="15" height="14">
1210						<path d="M19.3166 6.41L17.9135 5L12.3509 10.59L6.78834 5L5.38525 6.41L10.9478 12L5.38525 17.59L6.78834 19L12.3509 13.41L17.9135 19L19.3166 17.59L13.754 12L19.3166 6.41Z" fill="white"/>
1211					</mask>
1212					<g mask="url(#maskClose)">
1213						<rect x="0.409668" width="23.8823" height="24" fill="#FFFFFF"/>
1214					</g>
1215				</svg>
1216			</div>
1217			<!-- Image info, comments and meta -->
1218			<div class="jp-carousel-info">
1219				<div class="jp-carousel-info-footer">
1220					<div class="jp-carousel-pagination-container">
1221						<div class="jp-swiper-pagination swiper-pagination"></div>
1222						<div class="jp-carousel-pagination"></div>
1223					</div>
1224					<div class="jp-carousel-photo-title-container">
1225						<div class="jp-carousel-photo-caption"></div>
1226					</div>
1227					<div class="jp-carousel-photo-icons-container">
1228						<a href="#" class="jp-carousel-icon-btn jp-carousel-icon-info" aria-label="Toggle photo metadata visibility">
1229							<span class="jp-carousel-icon">
1230								<svg width="25" height="24" viewBox="0 0 25 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
1231									<mask id="maskInfo" mask-type="alpha" maskUnits="userSpaceOnUse" x="2" y="2" width="21" height="20">
1232										<path fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" d="M12.7537 2C7.26076 2 2.80273 6.48 2.80273 12C2.80273 17.52 7.26076 22 12.7537 22C18.2466 22 22.7046 17.52 22.7046 12C22.7046 6.48 18.2466 2 12.7537 2ZM11.7586 7V9H13.7488V7H11.7586ZM11.7586 11V17H13.7488V11H11.7586ZM4.79292 12C4.79292 16.41 8.36531 20 12.7537 20C17.142 20 20.7144 16.41 20.7144 12C20.7144 7.59 17.142 4 12.7537 4C8.36531 4 4.79292 7.59 4.79292 12Z" fill="white"/>
1233									</mask>
1234									<g mask="url(#maskInfo)">
1235										<rect x="0.8125" width="23.8823" height="24" fill="#FFFFFF"/>
1236									</g>
1237								</svg>
1238							</span>
1239						</a>
1240												<a href="#" class="jp-carousel-icon-btn jp-carousel-icon-comments" aria-label="Toggle photo comments visibility">
1241							<span class="jp-carousel-icon">
1242								<svg width="25" height="24" viewBox="0 0 25 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
1243									<mask id="maskComments" mask-type="alpha" maskUnits="userSpaceOnUse" x="2" y="2" width="21" height="20">
1244										<path fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" d="M4.3271 2H20.2486C21.3432 2 22.2388 2.9 22.2388 4V16C22.2388 17.1 21.3432 18 20.2486 18H6.31729L2.33691 22V4C2.33691 2.9 3.2325 2 4.3271 2ZM6.31729 16H20.2486V4H4.3271V18L6.31729 16Z" fill="white"/>
1245									</mask>
1246									<g mask="url(#maskComments)">
1247										<rect x="0.34668" width="23.8823" height="24" fill="#FFFFFF"/>
1248									</g>
1249								</svg>
1250
1251								<span class="jp-carousel-has-comments-indicator" aria-label="This image has comments."></span>
1252							</span>
1253						</a>
1254											</div>
1255				</div>
1256				<div class="jp-carousel-info-extra">
1257					<div class="jp-carousel-info-content-wrapper">
1258						<div class="jp-carousel-photo-title-container">
1259							<div class="jp-carousel-photo-title"></div>
1260						</div>
1261						<div class="jp-carousel-comments-wrapper">
1262															<div id="jp-carousel-comments-loading">
1263									<span>Loading Comments...</span>
1264								</div>
1265								<div class="jp-carousel-comments"></div>
1266								<div id="jp-carousel-comment-form-container">
1267									<span id="jp-carousel-comment-form-spinner"><svg class="jetpack-spinner" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 100 100" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><circle cx="50" cy="50" r="46" fill="none" stroke="#ddd" stroke-width="8"/><path d="M 50 4 A 46 46 0 0 1 96 50" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="8" stroke-linecap="round"><animateTransform attributeName="transform" type="rotate" dur="1.4s" from="0 50 50" to="360 50 50" repeatCount="indefinite"/></path></svg></span>
1268									<div id="jp-carousel-comment-post-results"></div>
1269																														<form id="jp-carousel-comment-form">
1270												<label for="jp-carousel-comment-form-comment-field" class="screen-reader-text">Write a Comment...</label>
1271												<textarea
1272													name="comment"
1273													class="jp-carousel-comment-form-field jp-carousel-comment-form-textarea"
1274													id="jp-carousel-comment-form-comment-field"
1275													placeholder="Write a Comment..."
1276												></textarea>
1277												<div id="jp-carousel-comment-form-submit-and-info-wrapper">
1278													<div id="jp-carousel-comment-form-commenting-as">
1279																													<fieldset>
1280																<label for="jp-carousel-comment-form-email-field">Email (Required)</label>
1281																<input type="text" name="email" class="jp-carousel-comment-form-field jp-carousel-comment-form-text-field" id="jp-carousel-comment-form-email-field" />
1282															</fieldset>
1283															<fieldset>
1284																<label for="jp-carousel-comment-form-author-field">Name (Required)</label>
1285																<input type="text" name="author" class="jp-carousel-comment-form-field jp-carousel-comment-form-text-field" id="jp-carousel-comment-form-author-field" />
1286															</fieldset>
1287															<fieldset>
1288																<label for="jp-carousel-comment-form-url-field">Website</label>
1289																<input type="text" name="url" class="jp-carousel-comment-form-field jp-carousel-comment-form-text-field" id="jp-carousel-comment-form-url-field" />
1290															</fieldset>
1291																											</div>
1292													<input
1293														type="submit"
1294														name="submit"
1295														class="jp-carousel-comment-form-button"
1296														id="jp-carousel-comment-form-button-submit"
1297														value="Post Comment" />
1298												</div>
1299											</form>
1300																											</div>
1301													</div>
1302						<div class="jp-carousel-image-meta">
1303							<div class="jp-carousel-title-and-caption">
1304								<div class="jp-carousel-photo-info">
1305									<div class="jp-carousel-caption" itemprop="caption description"></div>
1306								</div>
1307
1308								<div class="jp-carousel-photo-description"></div>
1309							</div>
1310							<a class="jp-carousel-image-download" href="#" aria-label="Download image" target="_blank" style="display: none;">
1311								<svg width="25" height="24" viewBox="0 0 25 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
1312									<mask id="mask0" mask-type="alpha" maskUnits="userSpaceOnUse" x="3" y="3" width="19" height="18">
1313										<path fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" d="M5.84615 5V19H19.7775V12H21.7677V19C21.7677 20.1 20.8721 21 19.7775 21H5.84615C4.74159 21 3.85596 20.1 3.85596 19V5C3.85596 3.9 4.74159 3 5.84615 3H12.8118V5H5.84615ZM14.802 5V3H21.7677V10H19.7775V6.41L9.99569 16.24L8.59261 14.83L18.3744 5H14.802Z" fill="white"/>
1314									</mask>
1315									<g mask="url(#mask0)">
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1320							</a>
1321							<div class="jp-carousel-image-map" style="display: none;"></div>
1322						</div>
1323					</div>
1324				</div>
1325			</div>
1326		</div>
1327
1328		</div>
1329		<aside id="eu_cookie_law_widget-3" class="widget widget_eu_cookie_law_widget">
1330<div
1331	class="hide-on-scroll"
1332	data-hide-timeout="30"
1333	data-consent-expiration="365"
1334	id="eu-cookie-law"
1335	style="display: none"
1336>
1337	<form method="post">
1338		<input type="submit" value="Close and accept" class="accept" />
1339
1340		Privacy &amp; Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use. <br />
1341To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here:
1342				<a href="https://automattic.com/cookies/" rel="nofollow">
1343			Cookie Policy		</a>
1344 </form>
1345</div>
1346</aside>
1347	
1347<script type="text/javascript">
1348		(function () {
1349			var wpcom_reblog = {
1350				source: 'toolbar',
1351
1352				toggle_reblog_box_flair: function (obj_id, post_id) {
1353
1354					// Go to site selector. This will redirect to their blog if they only have one.
1355					const postEndpoint = `https://wordpress.com/post`;
1356
1357					// Ideally we would use the permalink here, but fortunately this will be replaced with the 
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1359					const originalURL = `${ document.location.href }?page_id=${ post_id }`; 
1360					
1361					const url =
1362						postEndpoint +
1363						'?url=' +
1364						encodeURIComponent( originalURL ) +
1365						'&is_post_share=true' +
1366						'&v=5';
1367
1368					const redirect = function () {
1369						if (
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1371						) {
1372							location.href = url;
1373						}
1374					};
1375
1376					if ( /Firefox/.test( navigator.userAgent ) ) {
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1378					} else {
1379						redirect();
1380					}
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1384			window.wpcom_reblog = wpcom_reblog;
1385		})();
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1387<script crossorigin='anonymous' type='text/javascript'  src='/wp-content/mu-plugins/likes/queuehandler.js?m=1741961244i'></script>
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1390<script id="wp-i18n-js-after">
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1395window.VerbumComments = {"Log in or provide your name and email to leave a reply.":"Log in or provide your name and email to leave a reply.","Log in or provide your name and email to leave a comment.":"Log in or provide your name and email to leave a comment.","Receive web and mobile notifications for posts on this site.":"Receive web and mobile notifications for posts on this site.","Name":"Name","Email (address never made public)":"Email (address never made public)","Website (optional)":"Website (optional)","Leave a reply. (log in optional)":"Leave a reply. (log in optional)","Leave a comment. (log in optional)":"Leave a comment. (log in optional)","Log in to leave a reply.":"Log in to leave a reply.","Log in to leave a comment.":"Log in to leave a comment.","Logged in via %s":"Logged in via %s","Log out":"Log out","Your browser is blocking the cookies needed to log in and comment here. Allow cookies in your privacy settings, then reload the page.":"Your browser is blocking the cookies needed to log in and comment here. Allow cookies in your privacy settings, then reload the page.","Email":"Email","(Address never made public)":"(Address never made public)","Instantly":"Instantly","Daily":"Daily","Reply":"Reply","Comment":"Comment","WordPress":"WordPress","Weekly":"Weekly","Notify me of new posts":"Notify me of new posts","Email me new posts":"Email me new posts","Email me new comments":"Email me new comments","Cancel":"Cancel","Write a comment...":"Write a comment...","Write a reply...":"Write a reply...","Website":"Website","Optional":"Optional","We'll keep you in the loop!":"We'll keep you in the loop!","Loading your comment...":"Loading your comment...","Discover more from":"Discover more from Mere Inkling Press","Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.":"Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.","Continue reading":"Continue reading","Never miss a beat!":"Never miss a beat!","Interested in getting blog post updates? Simply click the button below to stay in the loop!":"Interested in getting blog post updates? Simply click the button below to stay in the loop!","Enter your email address":"Enter your email address","Subscribe":"Subscribe","Comment sent successfully":"Comment sent successfully","Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.":"Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.","hovercardi18n":{"Edit your profile \u2192":"Edit your profile \u2192","View profile \u2192":"View profile \u2192","Contact":"Contact","Send money":"Send money","Gravatar not found.":"Gravatar not found.","This profile is private.":"This profile is private.","Too Many Requests.":"Too Many Requests.","Internal Server Error.":"Internal Server Error.","Sorry, we are unable to load this Gravatar profile.":"Sorry, we are unable to load this Gravatar profile."},"siteId":26930382,"postId":2055,"mustLogIn":false,"requireNameEmail":true,"commentRegistration":false,"connectURL":"https://mereinkling.wordpress.com/public.api/connect/?action=request\u0026domain=mereinkling.net","logoutURL":"https://mereinkling.wordpress.com/wp-login.php?action=logout\u0026_wpnonce=ba114a174e","homeURL":"https://mereinkling.net/","subscribeToBlog":true,"subscribeToComment":true,"isJetpackCommentsLoggedIn":false,"jetpackUsername":"","jetpackUserId":0,"jetpackSignature":"","jetpackAvatar":"https://0.gravatar.com/avatar/?s=96\u0026amp;d=identicon\u0026amp;r=G","enableBlocks":true,"enableSubscriptionModal":true,"currentLocale":"en","isJetpackComments":false,"allowedBlocks":["core/paragraph","core/list","core/code","core/list-item","core/quote","core/image","core/embed","core/quote","core/code"],"embedNonce":"cb14ccd6fe","verbumBundleUrl":"/wp-content/mu-plugins/jetpack-mu-wpcom-plugin/sun/jetpack_vendor/automattic/jetpack-mu-wpcom/src/features/verbum-comments/dist/index.js","isRTL":false,"vbeCacheBuster":1789740582,"iframeUniqueId":0,"colorScheme":false}
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1421	<iframe src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/master.html?ver=20260924#ver=20260924' scrolling='no' id='likes-master' name='likes-master' style='display:none;'></iframe>
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1423	
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1423 
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1427		// Prevent sending pageview tracking from WP-Admin pages.
1428		_stq.push(['view', {'blog':'26930382','v':'wpcom','tz':'-7','user_id':'0','post':'2055','subd':'mereinkling'}]);
1429		_stq.push(['extra', {'crypt':'UE5tW3cvZGRkOERlal9Yd291RzZXcmdOZVVpJVVkJTNPRktUU0lrQW9PVUpPZzRnc2JscmRuQmlTVEwtdEdNXUM1N3IsP2wmJkdUOWJZb3VsdFp1djYzdy1OflordnU0aiVLTVZ6bVsyJkE3ZU5hMlYmY2VVS08lMHV1a212QyxJRm9+LHI/SyVHcmZ0WnlmeXxYMGU5djhmQnhNbFd6fDBxcDhmOVs2NHR1TH5oVWVPdXUsV2t2fj1NVT9DZGdyXVhtZTFQRi5KOFtUdER2TngrL3JPaVhFM3ZCTVhLWj1uJm8sPVdsd0Z0LWg4bVIuLEVQQjh3Qzd+MFA='}]);
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1436(function() {
1437	'use strict';
1438
1439	const fetches = {};
1440	const promises = {};
1441	const urls = {
1442		'wp-polyfill': '/wp-includes/js/dist/vendor/wp-polyfill.min.js?m=1786440387i&ver=3.15.0',
1443		'verbum': '/wp-content/mu-plugins/jetpack-mu-wpcom-plugin/sun/jetpack_vendor/automattic/jetpack-mu-wpcom/src/build/verbum-comments/verbum-comments.js?m=1789668866i&minify=false&ver=1277503d9f869014c379'
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1459	window.WP_Enqueue_Dynamic_Script = {
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1468	function fetchExternalScript(handle) {
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1474		return fetches[handle];
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1477	function runExtraScript(handle, type, index) {
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1480		if (!template) {
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1483
1484		const script = document.createElement( 'script' );
1485		script.innerHTML = template.innerHTML;
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1487		return Promise.resolve();
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1489
1490	function loadExternalScript(handle) {
1491		if (!urls[handle]) {
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1519		return loadExtra(handle, 'translations')
1520			.then(() => loadExtra(handle, 'before'))
1521			.then(() => loadExternalScript(handle))
1522			.then(() => loadExtra(handle, 'after'));
1523	}
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1525</script>
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