Mercy Misunderstood

I heard a song on the radio this week that had a great tune, and a memorable chorus. I caught myself singing along until I took a moment to think about what was being said, theologically. Then I realized I didn't agree or better, I interpret mercy and grace very differently. The singer sang away singing, "His grace is always larger then our sin, no matter how much we sin His grace is bigger". Hearing that I was struck with the notion that I do not put sin and grace together, but mercy and sin together.
For the last few days the many definitions of grace, mercy and sin which I have studied or was taught have rattled around in my head and I have decided to lay them out. What I have discovered is that I have misunderstood mercy for along time and it's time to have clear thinking on the matter.
There are many definitions of Grace, Sin and Mercy. I have grown up and accepted the traditional evangelical ones, but they all seem muddled together with no clear understanding of the role each plays in our relationship with Jesus. They are words we throw around without thinking them through. I have come to believe there is a clear distinction between them.
For argument sake (and lack of space) I will say that Sin is the "absence of peace", absence of Shalom. This is new thinking for me as I always thought and was taught that sin was "missing the mark and I had to turn around and repent". I don't fully reject that former teaching, but I am seeing the "absence of peace" as a much healthier way to view sin, but that is a conversation for another day. I want us to focus on mercy, something I think we have misunderstood.
When do we receive mercy? What is it, who offers it and how? Is it different from Grace, if so how and why? Is it always about justice or is it an act of compassion? These are some of the questions I am attempting to answer, but it is the following question I am struggling with the most, Have I ever really encountered, needed, and fully accepted the mercy of God? I have talked, preached, and prayed through all kinds of grace, but it was not until this season of darkness, this living through Psalm 88, did I ever truly meet His mercy. I can say with honesty, I have now felt His mercy. I realize I have for a long time confused mercy with grace.
Presently, I believe mercy is an act of Divine compassion where leniency and clemency are offered and that means I did not receive from God what I deserved, punishment. Grace, on the other hand is receiving from God His presence and love, guiding me through His sanctification process. That is totally different then having your punishment rendered.
I still have many questions and thoughts on how grace and mercy travel together and I am still processing this season of darkness that I am leaving behind and the mercy I am being shown throughout, which means I have just begun to scratch the surface on these ways of being (grace and mercy) and that means we are going to be talking about this for awhile. Until then, here is a great quote on Mercy from William Shakespeare, from his play, "The Merchant of Venice".
The quality of mercy is not strained.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown.
His scepter shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings.
But mercy is above this sceptered sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings;
It is an attribute of God himself;
And earthly power doth then show like God's
When mercy seasons justice.

With heaps of grace, mercy and peace,
Pamela