Forgiveness.

Everyone reading this-- take a second and think about how you speak to other people. Not just what you say, but how you say it.


Someone has spoken harshly to you, someone has criticized, mocked, even bullied you. At some point in your life, someone took it upon themselves to say something unnecessarily cruel to you.


You cried about it. You never forgot it. You hated them for it. You thought differently about yourself because of it. It is inevitably true, this has happened.


So here's a question.


Have you ever been that bully? Have you ever spoken cruel words to someone? Have you said nasty things behind someone's back?  At some point in your life, you have said something to make someone else feel bad about themselves.


They cried about it. They never forgot it. They hated you for it. They thought differently about themselves because of it. It is inevitably true-- this has happened.


I am not saying this to make you feel guilty. Instead, I am asking you to acknowledge that both situations have happened-- and I am asking you to "forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." 

No one is perfect-- everyone has been hurt, and everyone has hurt someone else. It is how life teaches us lessons, however, we have to learn from those lessons. Make a conscious decision to treat people with kindness. If someone wears something you don't think flatters them, keep that comment to yourself. If someone sings off key, don't speak about it. If someone is awkward or out of place, don't mock them. These things will continuously cast you in a negative light, and you never know who your words get back to. Being kind isn't something that comes and goes, it is a lifestyle, a mindset, and an attitude. 


Forgive the person who hurt you and forgive yourself. 


Bring kindness to the forefront of your mind, and live by it everyday.