“We hand folks over to God's mercy, and show none ourselves.”
— George Eliot
Simplified Meaning:
Sometimes, people say that only God can forgive or show kindness to others, but they themselves are not willing to forgive or be kind. This means they expect God to handle the hard work of mercy while not doing their part. For example, if someone hurts a friend and the friend says, "I’ll let God deal with their punishment," but then treats that person poorly, they are not showing mercy themselves. Instead of helping and being kind, they are leaving all the forgiving up to God. To apply this in real life, if someone upsets us, we should try to forgive them ourselves, rather than expecting divine intervention to correct their wrongdoing while we still hold a grudge. Showing kindness and understanding, even when it’s hard, can help improve our relationships and make the world a little better.
