Forgiveness & Truth.

I have a favorite quote that I have wanted to share with you for a very long time, but I have never been able to finish anything I have tried to write on it. Now, I think I might finally be ready. It is about a topic that is very near and dear to me: forgiveness.


"Sincere forgiveness isn't colored with expectations that the other person apologize or change. Don't worry whether or not they finally understand you. Love them and release them. Life feeds back truth to people in its own way and time." -Sara Paddison.


Forgiveness is a very meaningful word to me. It is one of the most important actions someone can do to maintain any kind of relationship. Forgiving someone is about love. It is about believing in your heart that you still love a person even if they betrayed you, failed you, or hurt you in any way.


Sometimes your forgiveness is willingly accepted, but other times it is not. When your gift of forgiveness to someone is denied, then it can be one of the hardest life lessons to learn. It can be absolutely devastating to a person.


However, if you dwell on the gift that they will not accept, then you will become bitter again. You will become bitter because they will not accept the forgiveness that you give them, so in turn you will be unforgiving of them not accepting your forgiveness. How confusing is that? It is something that seems absolutely ridiculous! It is absolutely ridiculous!


Why do we as humans worry about the things in which we cannot change? I know I do it. It is one of my bad habits. It is kind of like wanting something you can't have. It seems that people always want the one thing that they cannot have when the world offers them so much more!

If we expect nothing and get nothing, then we will never be let down. In contrast if we expect everything and get nothing, then we will certainly be let down. So why not try and focus on expecting nothing? That way, if we do get something we will be absolutely overjoyed!


Sometimes we just have to let go of what we love, and if it is really meant to come back it will. If it is not meant to be, then so be it. If we get nothing else in return we will at least know the truth when it is ready to reveal itself to us.

Take a Step Forward in Your Hypothetical Journey.

Confucius once said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
To me this quote is very motivational. If you have to go on a journey of a thousand miles, every time you take a step forward you are one step closer to your destination.
However, I do not take this quote literally. I take it in a more hypothetical way.
Let's say you have to write a ten page essay on a topic of your choice. If you are chosen as the winner, you will receive a quite large sum of money to use as a scholarship for college. This is the last straw; it is your last hope for going to college. Your parents don't have the money and you are already working two jobs. You know you only have a one in a million chance, but what if...?
If you do not take that one step forward, there will not be a time when you do not think, "What if...?" If you write the essay and are not picked then you will know you tried your darnedest to get that scholarship; you will not regret that decision. In contrast, if you write the essay and are picked you have everything and more! If you had made one tiny mistake and had not written the essay, then it could have cost you everything you worked for all those years of struggling and trying your best to get by.
See how just one little step forward can make a world of difference? I do. You must take that single step forward. Do not fret about how long the journey may take, but realize how great it will be when you finally get there...

Just Stand.

I found a Japanese proverb today that is very simple, but I think a lot of people can relate to it. It says, "Fall seven times, stand up eight." How true is that? Its point is very cliche; if you trip and fall you have to get back up again. If you get back up again, stand taller and prouder than you did the last time.

We will all take various 'falls' in our lives, whether it is just a little trip in our step, or a horrible fall down to rock bottom. Many of us experience both of these different 'falls' at some point in our lives.

However, if we just stay down on the ground we will not make any progress. Likewise, if we half-heartily stand back up, we will just keep tripping.

In contrast if we stand strong we will continue to stand. Then if ever we may fall again we will still remember how we stood strong in our hearts, and be able to do it again and again whatever troubles may come our way.

Ephesians 6:13-15
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

Just a Mere Fantasy...

She tries so hard to be real in this world full of fakes. She gazes through her over sized sunglasses at the people out on the street. They are covered in designer labels. The women have globs of make-up on...and even some of the men.

She wonders what "being real" is anymore. If you are trying to be real is that being something you're not or is it striving to be something you could potentially become?

If everybody is so beautiful on the inside, why does everyone feel the need to deck out in the coolest clothes and cover their faces with a full blown mask? Are each and every one of us just hypocrites by nature? Is anybody real?? Or is it all just a mere fantasy..?

This is the Truth...Or is it?

And she has learned that she can trust no one in this world full of lies, deceit, and mistrust. The only one she can truly rely on to be there no matter what is herself.

Some say that everyone lies, but how can you know that to be the truth? How do you know that it is not just another lie that people have spread around for so long that it has become the truth?

What is the truth anymore? WHAT IS THE TRUTH??? Is the truth what we think to be the truth or what we know to be the truth?

She knows there is truth out there that still exists, but she just doesn't know where to find it.

And if she does find it how will she know? When everything she knows is a lie, will she recognize truth when she sees it?

We All Grow Up.

Isn't it strange...
how the bad times go so slow and you think you'll never get through them, but the good times seem to end faster than the speed of light? You know, like those times when you are sitting in a room with your friends, and it is completely silent, but you are thinking: life can't get any better than this...

Isn't it strange how you can meet someone and think you will never be friends with them, but then they turn out to be your best friend? Or maybe you have known a person for years, but your perspective of them seems to change completely (whether it is for the better or worse).

Isn't it strange...

...how we all grow up?