Much ado about forgiveness

Disclaimer: Nobody is perfect, most especially me.
Elton John once sang "Sorry seems to be the hardest word". I tend to disagree.
People seem to have this preconceived idea that saying "I'm sorry" is a magical eraser of some sorts that is supposed to make everything better between us.
Well its not. Color me cynical.
Which brings me to the term "Forgive and Forget". Is that even humanly possible?(the forget part I mean). I think it's just one of those things people say to sound "deep". Easier said than done if you ask me.
In the words of C.S Lewis, "Everyone thinks forgiveness is a lovely idea until they have something to forgive."
"Forgive and Let go" sounds much more realistic, don't you think?
You know that part of the Lord's Prayer that says: 'And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors'. (Matthew 6:12 KJV)
It literally means, if you don't forgive your neighbor, God will not forgive you. Think about that for a second.
But the importance and urgency of that prayer really hit me while I was reading Matthew 18 earlier where Jesus was telling the parable of the servant whose master forgave him a large debt but this same servant threw his fellow servant in jail because he owed him a paltry sum of money.
When the master found out, he ordered the servant to be put in jail till he paid up his debt. Listen to what Jesus said:
..."So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” (Matthew 18:35 KJV)
Reading that gave me serious chills. Imagine God putting you in a "jail cell" simply because you chose not to forgive. Unwittingly, some of us have tied down our blessings because of our unwillingness to forgive. "Unforgiveness is choosing to stay trapped in a jail cell of bitterness, serving time for someone else's crime.”
Forgiveness is no easy task but when we compare with how much God has forgiven us on a daily basis, you have no choice but to forgive and let go!
God bless you.

Blast From The Past

So the other day, I was on the bus on my way to school. I see this nicely dressed middle aged woman and a good looking teenage boy standing at the bus stop. I catch myself thinking, "Hmm...I want to look like her when I'm that age and if I ever had a son, I'd like him to look like this dude.
The guy and the woman get on the bus. As it would so happen, the teenager was standing right next to me. I was mildly horrified when I looked up and discovered that he had a tattoo on his left arm. Well no son of mine was ever getting a 'ta', talk less of 'ttoo'! Being the type of person that I am, I like making excuses for people. So I didn't judge him too harshly about the tattoo. I figured maybe he got it in his 'rebellious' phase or 'twas peer pressure.
You can imagine my dismay when I noticed that my 'teenage son fantasy' also has a pack of cigarettes in his pocket. Haay! I started laughing at myself. Fancy me having a son with a tattoo who smokes and does Lord knows what else. Heaven forbid it!
Somehow, a very valuable lesson occurred to me on the bus that day. 

"People are not always what they seem or appear to be.Sometimes people surprise us. Sometimes they outright shock us. Sometimes they turn out to not be at all who we thought they were. And sometimes the clues were right in front of our noses the entire time. Maybe we don’t want to see them for who they are, or maybe the truth seems impossible. Maybe we just want to think the best of those we think we know.
The next time you are shocked at someone’s action or reactions, think about how well you really know that person. Do you know them well enough to predict their movements? Are they really who you thought they were or did you only know the mask they were wearing? Could you see something wasn’t quite right? Were you close enough to offer assistance? Are you who everyone thinks you are? Finally, do you even know who you are?"

Thanks for reading! Have a nice day & God bless you!

LIE TO ME

Ria: You drugged her so she could lie?

Cal Ligthman: Never let the facts get in the way of the truth.

     SO1E02 Lie To Me "Moral Waiver"

LIES...We hate 'em but we tell 'em..and with good reason ,or so we think.

But sometimes the truth hurt..and no one likes getting hurt...or do they?

We lie to protect the ones we love..but can you really shield someone from he truth?

We lie to gain acceptance..or to hide who we really are.

Cal Lightman: Nobody can tell the whole truth, it's subjective, and passes through our own filters.
Judge Quinn: How about you promise to be honest to the best of your ability?
Cal Lightman: Now you're talking!

    S02E13 Lie To Me "The Whole Truth"

White lies? Half truth?

A lie may take care of the present, but it has no future

Momma used to say, when you tell one lie, you have to tell 99 lies to cover up that one lie.

Always tell the truth. That way you don't have to remember what you said.--Mark Twain

Sad thing is we lie until we actually start to believe the lie

Sometimes even getting people to lie for us

Eventually we get caught up in a web of lies and its difficult to come untangled.

Lightman: You know some people it's easier to tell when they stop lying more than when they start.
Russo: How can you tell when I stop lying?
Lightman: You shut your mouth.
   S02E20 Lie To Me "Exposed"

So how can you tell when a person is lying?

Facial expressions? body mannerisms? sweating? heightened pulse? stuttering?

Really, does telling one lie make you a liar?

TRUTH

Perhaps you could try it sometime, it really does set you free

Its bitter but it makes you feel better

Hearing the truth might make you mad

But thats a story for another day.

I guess what am trying to say here really is :

Please don't lie to me, unless you're absolutely sure I'll never find out the truth. 

Ashleigh Brilliant