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Free to Be You: Mercy Gift · The Father's Business Podcast

• 0:03
  Speaker 1: The Father's Business was founded by Sylvia Gunter to encourage people to a deeper relationship with God.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: I'm Elizabeth Gunter Powell.
• 0:11
  Speaker 2: And I am Kimberly Roddy.
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: Welcome to the Father's Business Podcast.
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: We are so glad that you've joined us.
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Welcome to today's podcast.
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: We are focusing in on the mercy gift.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: Today we have two of my favorite people on the planet are with us.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: Today.
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: We have Sharon and Laura.
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: Sharon has been a part of the Father's Business and the Rock Journey team for many, many years and brings such an amazing depth and wisdom with her mercy gift.
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: And Laura has been a friend of the Father's Business even before we ever started Rock Journey conferences.
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: She also serves as a member of our Father's Business Board, and so we are just thrilled and grateful for everything that Laura brings in her beautiful Mercy Gift to help minister to people through the Father's Business.
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: So, kimberly, as we get started, why don't you remind us of a few of the characteristics of the Mercy Gift?
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: Yes.
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: So, as a reminder, you can go back and listen to our intro podcast where we talked about all seven at length if you're curious about that.
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: But the mercy gift in particular.
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: They really delight in beauty and in intimacy.
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: They want to savor and appreciate the things around them, the beauty around them, the connection and intimacy around them.
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: The connection with God is really deep for them when they grow and mature and really value.
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: They really value being in his presence more than doing for him.
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: Even the way I'm talking about it right now, that savoring piece, that slow to process, that slow and savoring pace of life for the mercy, is something that we really have to remember.
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: If we're not that way, we have to remember that that is a key piece of who the mercy is.
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: It is a beautiful gift and I think as you listen to Sharon and Laura today talk about this gift, I hope that it will be a blessing to you, as they are two beautiful women who have spent time understanding their design and really learning to soak in God's presence and walk in alignment, as he has called them to be mercies in this world.
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: Sharon and Laura, we're so happy you're with us today to talk about the mercy gift, and so we want to start off by asking you what do you love about being a mercy?
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: Sharon, we'll start with you.
• 2:21
  Speaker 3: Well, I love the way that I can see the world differently than looking at it from the point of view of what I need to do or perform.
• 2:31
  Speaker 3: It's an opportunity to experience the world with God from a viewpoint of sensing deeply how things look and seem, but how they really are.
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: And so, as a Mercy, I love to be able to make connections with people and develop relationships and to not just look at what people can do for me or they I can do for them, but who they are, and to see the world and people from a different point of view and I love it because there's a sensitivity that comes and not just looking at facts.
• 3:16
  Speaker 3: That's what part of what I love about the mercy gift.
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: Laura, what about you?
• 3:22
  Speaker 4: I love the ability to easily connect and be intimate, whether it's with my God or whether it's with a friend.
• 3:30
  Speaker 4: It's just easy, and so I can connect very easily and that's a benefit.
• 3:38
  Speaker 4: Also, I can have Emmanuel moments easily with God and that encourages me so much that then I've got to pour it out into something or someone afterwards.
• 3:51
  Speaker 4: Just an intimacy, that's easy.
• 3:55
  Speaker 4: I see other people struggle in quiet time.
• 3:58
  Speaker 4: I could stay in quiet time all day long.
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: Well, speaking of that intimacy with God, how do you see God's mercy character in your gift, Laura?
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: How do you see that?
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: How do you see the mercy of God?
• 4:09
  Speaker 4: Well, I see his ability to listen and stay with somebody in pain.
• 4:16
  Speaker 4: I see the presence of the Lord easily with other people and in my own quiet time, Just an intimate listening and encouragement for other people.
• 4:34
  Speaker 4: And I see to me one of the best metaphors for God is beauty, whether it's art or nature or music or whatever it is, and that is something I think a mercy really appreciates and some of them can create it and I do with landscape design and I think there's a yearning in the mercy for an ultimate alignment when Jesus comes back, and I have that.
• 5:04
  Speaker 4: It's not a death wish but it's just a learning for that complete, perfect alignment.
• 5:12
  Speaker 3: How about you, sharon?
• 5:12
  Speaker 3: Yeah, one of the things I see is that God is a merciful God and he looks at us not with our faults and weaknesses, but he sees us as a complete person with both strengths and liabilities, and so I really love to see the character of God operate through the mercy and looking at people, not just focusing on their problems or pain or hurt, but to see their potential and to encourage them and bring out of them the best.
• 5:45
  Speaker 3: I think the mercy gift does bring out of people the best.
• 5:50
  Speaker 3: On the one hand, the mercy gift is able to bring comfort and healing to wounded people, but also to encourage them to see the treasures that God has put in them.
• 6:04
  Speaker 3: So I love that about the mercy gift.
• 6:07
  Speaker 3: I love that about God that he's so merciful and that he meets us where we are, doesn't force us, doesn't push us, but his very presence is that which brings love and acceptance and is the motivation for us to come out and be who we really are.
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: So we obviously, as all of the seven gifts, we all have parts of ourselves that we struggle with, that we don't necessarily like.
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: What part of your mercy gift would you say you struggle with?
• 6:45
  Speaker 4: don't necessarily like.
• 6:45
  Speaker 4: What part of your mercy gift would you say you struggle with?
• 6:48
  Speaker 4: Well, I used to struggle with being a toxic waste dump until I understood how much damage that was doing to myself and others, and I don't do that anymore.
• 6:56
  Speaker 4: And I struggle, though, with weak boundaries and I struggle with enabling others, but when I see it that I'm hurting them by enabling them, then I have an easier time not doing that.
• 7:12
  Speaker 4: But it is sort of my natural go-to.
• 7:14
  Speaker 4: And the other thing I struggle with is being articulate on the spot.
• 7:20
  Speaker 4: I can be very articulate if I can plan it.
• 7:22
  Speaker 4: I can be very articulate if I can plan it, but off the cuff, sometimes I can't express what I want to say or what I know intuitively.
• 7:30
  Speaker 4: I can't express it quickly.
• 7:38
  Speaker 3: Yeah, how about you, sharon, being very sensitive so that I pick up so much and sometimes get overloaded with those things and don't always know what to do about that?
• 7:50
  Speaker 3: I certainly love harmony, but as I go about moving in situations, sometimes I sense, when something's off and it becomes very challenging, how do you bring it up or what do you do about it and what do I, what's my responsibility?
• 8:11
  Speaker 3: So in certain situations I struggle with when things are off, that God does bring about an explosion of things.
• 8:22
  Speaker 3: He surfaces those things that are off, and I don't enjoy seeing the blowups come, the explosions, the disorder, because I like harmony.
• 8:35
  Speaker 3: And the other thing is emotional processing of things.
• 8:42
  Speaker 3: It takes longer than I'd like, processing of things.
• 8:49
  Speaker 3: It takes longer than I'd like, and so that is something else that I struggle with and keep asking God to help me with it.
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: You know, all of us in our gift see the world from our viewpoint and we understand our own intentions, but we don't always understand the intentions of others.
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: What do you wish people understood about your mercy gift, maybe even your internal motivation or internal dialogue that the other gifts need to understand deeper about the mercy gift?
• 9:17
  Speaker 3: Well, I think one time a friend told me she thought I blew her off and that was very hurtful to me and disappointing to hear, because that is not my heart.
• 9:29
  Speaker 3: I don't think I ever think about blowing people off and I think she might have thought that because I was pondering things and it took me a long time to answer her questions and to weigh in on what she wanted me to talk to her about.
• 9:46
  Speaker 3: So I really wish people would know that every one of them is important to me.
• 9:52
  Speaker 3: I don't blow people off.
• 9:55
  Speaker 3: I don't consider them insignificant.
• 9:58
  Speaker 3: Everyone is important to me and it just takes me a little bit longer to come up with answers and perspectives and to get back with them.
• 10:09
  Speaker 3: And I know with my husband.
• 10:11
  Speaker 3: He'll often ask me questions at the end of the day and I'm still processing the day I'm not thinking about tomorrow and I have to tell him that I'll answer your question, but please give me a little bit of time to get there.
• 10:26
  Speaker 3: So I really wish people would know that it takes time.
• 10:33
  Speaker 4: I agree and I think for me, what I wish people would understand is that it takes me longer to move through strong emotions, whether it's grief or anger.
• 10:46
  Speaker 4: It just takes me longer.
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: So, as you two were beginning to learn about the gifts, is there another gift other than mercy that you thought you might be?
• 10:59
  Speaker 4: Definitely For me.
• 11:00
  Speaker 4: Ruler was a strong possibility because I've lived a lot of my life being in charge and being the president, because I have strong rulers in my life, but also teacher and servant were possibilities for me when I was at RUAC, because the teacher processes slowly and a servant is preparing the space for a different reason than Mercy, but we both do it and we're both team members.
• 11:35
  Speaker 4: We don't want to get in front of this podium and speak, so those were differences.
• 11:41
  Speaker 4: But once I learned the motivation behind mercy, I was on board.
• 11:47
  Speaker 4: That's what that's.
• 11:48
  Speaker 4: That was a description of me completely yeah, how about you?
• 11:53
  Speaker 3: sh.
• 11:53
  Speaker 3: Well, I often thought I was extroverted my earlier years.
• 11:58
  Speaker 3: It was always reaching out, connecting with people and relationships, and then I realized that some of it was just programming socialization.
• 12:06
  Speaker 3: And then I realized that there's a different part of me, a deeper part of me that really took in many deep things and when I was growing up I'd often lay on my bed and dream dreams and I began to get more in touch with the mercy portion there, the mercy part of me, and allow that to come forward more.
• 12:30
  Speaker 3: And so I believe that Exhorter was the one that I realized at that time.
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: And I can see that with Exhorter, because both Exhorter and Mercy are very relationship-driven as well.
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: The inner motivations are a little different, but they are both attracted.
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: People are attracted to them and they are attracted to people.
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: So I can understand that.
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: As you think about your gift and the other six gifts, how do you see your gift impacting others?
• 13:02
  Speaker 3: Well, I see my gift impacting others, because they often tell me when I'm around that they really love the atmosphere, and I sometimes say, oh, that's interesting, because I don't perceive that as much as they do, say, oh, that's interesting because I don't perceive that as much as they do.
• 13:20
  Speaker 3: And so I'll go into a group and there'll be various gifts they're a prophet servant most of them and so there's a dimension, apparently with the presence of God that I carry, that brings actually alignment, order, peace, something different that changes or shifts the atmosphere that I go into.
• 13:41
  Speaker 3: So that's one thing that I have heard feedback about.
• 13:46
  Speaker 4: I naturally pick up when people are in pain and I'm able to encourage them, whether it's writing a note or a phone call or dropping some gift over to their house or taking them some flowers from my garden and also to stay with it.
• 14:03
  Speaker 4: I have a friend who lost a child and I wrote her a note of encouragement every week for a year and she just couldn't believe that.
• 14:12
  Speaker 4: But it was the holy spirit, just put it on my mind and it was a way that I could encourage her every week and mostly I just sent verses.
• 14:22
  Speaker 4: It wasn't things that I said, it was just verses.
• 14:25
  Speaker 4: But just to be able to walk with somebody who's hurting, I think really makes a difference.
• 14:33
  Speaker 4: And also intercession.
• 14:36
  Speaker 4: I'm in a prayer group, I pray a lot, I'm at home a lot and so I have the opportunity to intercede and to send notes and to call and to do things like that I got a nickname a few years ago and people call me the can opener.
• 14:53
  Speaker 3: So I didn't used to carry tissues with me all the time, but I do because people will open up and start crying or they'll tell me well, I've never told anyone this in my whole life, and so I believe that is somewhat of an impact on the other gifts as well.
• 15:12
  Speaker 2: Both of you have done a lot of work being a part of our leadership team and being a part of RUAC.
• 15:17
  Speaker 2: You've both done a lot of work being a part of our leadership team and being a part of RUAC.
• 15:19
  Speaker 2: You've both done a lot of work in understanding your design, Laura.
• 15:21
  Speaker 2: You had mentioned earlier just the freedom that it brings when you understand how you're wired and how God's wired you.
• 15:27
  Speaker 2: But we also understand that other people may experience a mercy in their life.
• 15:33
  Speaker 2: Who isn't living in that mature space or in that space of growth in their life?
• 15:38
  Speaker 2: Who isn't living in that mature space or in that space of growth?
• 15:41
  Speaker 2: What do you think it?
• 15:43
  Speaker 3: looks like for a Mercy to be more immature in their gift.
• 15:46
  Speaker 3: Well, I think a Mercy that's immature is very self-oriented and looking to make an impact by perhaps what they do and not who they are.
• 15:54
  Speaker 3: They're probably susceptible to lots of temptations and their feelings centrally and enjoying things that are not necessarily the spirit but the soul part of them, and I know that it takes real choice to grow up.
• 16:14
  Speaker 3: I think that a mature mercy is much different.
• 16:19
  Speaker 3: Many people will say, well, you don't act like a normal mercy that I would expect, and I think, well, I'm glad, maybe I'm growing up, and especially in the alignment of God's heart.
• 16:32
  Speaker 3: If I learn how to keep in alignment with Him, he's helping me to grow up and be mature as a Mercy.
• 16:41
  Speaker 4: I think I have seen people wallop for years in pain or resentment or whatever, and I know that Mercy experiences things maybe more deeply, emotions more deeply.
• 16:56
  Speaker 4: Experiences things maybe more deeply, emotions more deeply.
• 16:58
  Speaker 4: But then you need to grow up and move on and give it to God and let him heal that emotion and not wallow in it.
• 17:07
  Speaker 4: And the other thing that I've seen is an immature mercy will often mercies like physical touch, hugs and so forth, and an immature mercy can tempt to have inappropriate relationships with the opposite sex.
• 17:29
  Speaker 2: In light of that immature space, even in your immaturity or your maturity, even in that space.
• 17:35
  Speaker 2: Sometimes other gifts or other people are hurt by the mercy gift, even when it's unintentional.
• 17:41
  Speaker 2: How do you see that mercy gift hurting others sometimes?
• 17:46
  Speaker 4: I think enabling.
• 17:47
  Speaker 4: For me enabling is I don't want people to be in pain and I want to rescue them, but I know better now and I don't do it.
• 17:56
  Speaker 4: That much pain and I want to rescue them, but I know better now I don't do it that much.
• 18:01
  Speaker 4: But it's still my initial reaction when I am aware of so much pain.
• 18:04
  Speaker 4: I just want to help.
• 18:05
  Speaker 4: But now I know better to listen and to encourage and let them experience their pain and let God heal them.
• 18:14
  Speaker 3: Well, oftentimes, other people will be so grateful for the depth of interest that the mercy has and the ability to tune in to them, and sometimes they will expect more from the mercy than mercy is able to give.
• 18:31
  Speaker 3: And so I believe that it can be hurtful to people to think you're their best friend when in fact you're not trying to be their best friend.
• 18:41
  Speaker 3: You're trying to understand them, trying to bring them into a different place.
• 18:46
  Speaker 3: I think that can be hurtful if it isn't expressed, if it isn't just shared with them that this is how I am, who I am, how I operate.
• 18:58
  Speaker 3: You are important to me, and yet there are things that I can do or can't do, based on what God wants.
• 19:07
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I could see others being attracted to the mercy gift and expecting an attachment that is more than what the mercy is wanting to give or needs to give, because they can then try to turn to that person to be their Savior in some ways, rather than what the mercy is wanting to do is get them connected to God.
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: So I can totally see how that gets misinterpreted by some people.
• 19:31
  Speaker 4: And sometimes God does want me to stay with that person and listen and be there.
• 19:37
  Speaker 4: But I've learned to ask, and that's what I didn't used to do.
• 19:42
  Speaker 4: I've learned to ask god, is this a keeper, or is this just you know?
• 19:46
  Speaker 4: Do I let it float in the river of life?
• 19:49
  Speaker 2: that's key of walking and walking by the spirit, walking in alignment with the spirit, knowing, knowing when to ask is is this my assignment, is this mine to do, or is it for someone else?
• 20:00
  Speaker 2: Yeah, some good thoughts.
• 20:02
  Speaker 2: Any other reflections or questions?
• 20:05
  Speaker 3: Well, I think that mercies are also like we often talk about the conductor of the orchestra, so they're different than givers.
• 20:14
  Speaker 3: Givers can actually understand.
• 20:18
  Speaker 3: It's hard to determine a giver, but with the mercy, the mercy is so, with maturity, able to understand the other gifts, that mercy is very important to the whole dynamic of the community and sometimes a mercy hesitates rather than stands up and releases what the mercy needs to release in order to bring the alignment to the whole team.
• 20:46
  Speaker 3: I think that's an important aspect, because mercy is not looking to direct and tell everybody what to do, but it's looking for that real, deep desire of seeing a team really move and work together under God's sovereignty and leadership and under his, actually in tune with his heart.
• 21:10
  Speaker 3: I believe that is really something that's very deep within me as a mercy, and that's why it's sometimes hard when things are off tune in each of the instruments and you want to help.
• 21:24
  Speaker 3: But then it's important to know what your part is and the conductor can only do his or her part.
• 21:31
  Speaker 3: Everyone else has to do his or her part as well.
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: Sharon, I've watched you and you, laura, both on our team, when we come together, do exactly what you're talking about While there.
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: I mean there's so many times I've watched you know we're in the midst of getting things ready to go for a conference or leading a conference, and then I've watched you quietly behind the scenes pull a leader off to the side and minister to them when they needed it, like you intuitively have sensed things on our team.
• 22:00
  Speaker 1: You have brought an alignment and a joy and a beauty to our team and there's so many ways that you have served our team that has been beautiful to watch.
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: Then also just personally, I know for both Kimberly and I, each of you have spoken into our lives in some crossroad places that we've been in, some difficult places we've been in, and then also in places where we're enjoying what feels like a time of victory.
• 22:25
  Speaker 1: But through both the good and the bad, y'all have been there for us and just your mere presence.
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: There's times when I just see the emails come in and it's from Lauren or Sharon.
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: I haven't read the email yet, but just knowing that there's something coming from one of the two of you has just so ministered to me just like you were describing with your other friend, laura, where you sent notes of encouragement.
• 22:45
  Speaker 1: I've got them saved over in a file of words that y'all have spoken to me over the years that really hit the mark of exactly what I needed to hear from God at the moment.
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: So I love your mercy gift.
• 22:56
  Speaker 1: I'm so glad that you two have taught me so much more about it and shown me the depth and the beauty of it, and so excited that you were able to be with us today on our podcast.
• 23:08
  Speaker 3: Thank you.
• 23:08
  Speaker 3: It's been a joy and delight to be with you as well.
• 23:10
  Speaker 3: Thank you.
• 23:12
  Speaker 4: It's really fun to reflect on the gift that God has given each of us and to appreciate all seven, the variety and how they complement each other and come together and have Jesus had all seven fully mature.
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: It is always good to spend time with Laura and Sharon.
• 23:33
  Speaker 1: They're two of my most favorite people in the world.
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: If you would like to know more about the Mercy Gift, you can go through the Ruach Journey Study.
• 23:40
  Speaker 1: Session eight in particular is all about the Mercy Gift.
• 23:42
  Speaker 1: You can go through the Ruach Journey Study.
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: Session eight in particular is all about the gifts, and in that lesson we have extended video interviews with both a male and a female representative of each of the gifts, so you can learn more about the Mercy Gift by going to our website at thefathersbusinesscom and ordering the Rurot Journey Study.
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: Next week, kimberly and I will be discussing all of the gifts as we wrap up this series.
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: And if you are having some questions about one or two of the gifts, you're not quite sure.
• 24:13
  Speaker 1: Maybe you're a prophet, maybe you're a teacher, maybe you're an exhorter, maybe you're mercy you're not quite sure.
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: Next week's episode is going to get into some of the ways to help you troubleshoot that and help you figure out how God has designed you uniquely.
• 24:27
  Speaker 1: We hope you will join us for it.
• 24:30
  Speaker 3: I want to thank you for listening to the Father's Business Podcast.
• 24:37
  Speaker 1: This podcast is made possible through donations by people like you.
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: To donate, go to wwwTheFathersBusinesscom.
• 24:46
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