Jesus' beautiful Sermon on the Mount is recorded in Matthew, and it is in Matthew 5:48 that we read "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." A summary of the Sermon on the Mount can also be found in Luke, and Luke 6:36 reads, "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful." The similarity between these two scriptures is striking, and it begs a comparison.
To be perfect, we must be merciful. We can never be like our Heavenly Father, perfect, unless we become perfectly merciful. Perfect mercy requires perfect understanding of all the circumstances and thoughts and experiences of another person, and that is impossible for us mere mortals. The closest we can come might be learning to see one another as children of God, loved and cherished by deity.
When we see the imperfect people around us, mercy requires that we remember that God loves those imperfect people and has asked us to do the same--love them. Just love them, without condition or judgement. Love them. Be merciful. Become perfectly merciful.
It's not just a suggestion. It's a commandment. Do it.
