The work of the Holy Spirit is an awesome mystery for us. Because of the way these spiritual gifts are given to us and manifested in individuals, it is better to provide a description rather than a narrow, one-size-fits-all definition. Like the spiritual gifts assessment, these descriptions are not definitive but paint a beautiful tapestry of the Holy Spirit at work in God’s people.
MERCY:
The spiritual gift that moves the receiver to feel deeply for those in physical, spiritual or emotional need and then to act to meet that need.
People with this gift are usually: empathetic, caring, responsive, kind, compassionate, sensitive, burden-bearing.
Cautions for people with this gift: feeling “unappreciated” when the people they have helped don’t show appreciation in expected ways; becoming defensive and angry about the sources of others’ pain.
Biblical references: Luke 7:12–15, Luke 10:30–37, Matthew 25:34–36
Adapted from Gifts for You: Opening Your Spiritual Gifts and used here with permission. Copyright © 2011 Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Written by Valora K Starr. www.womenoftheelca.org/filebin/pdf/resources/SpiritualGifts.pdf