Sticks and Stones may break my bones

I wonder how difficult it would be to have a short memory when it comes to remembering the faults of those around us. Think about it a minute. We all have those moments when we say things we shouldn't say. Those times when our anger is sparked, adrenaline is flowing, enthusiasm is at a peak, or our depression is at a low. Whatever sparked the words doesn't matter, what does matter is in all honesty the words spoken were not from the heart of the person speaking.

In this age of instant information and at a time when our every movement has the potential of being recorded things get said that people probably do not mean. Let's look at the heart of a person or their intent not so much words spoken at peak emotional times. I bet everyone reading this has been so mad before that they said things about people that they truly did not mean to say. We should not hold that against someone even if it hurt. The intent of the heart is not always revealed in the bitter words someone says.

We all have said those harmful words we so wish we could take back. Did we honestly mean to say what we said? Most likely not and if conditions were different the intended meaning would also be different. In life this is an important lesson, what someone says is not always what the other person hears. Even if the words are recorded, the message delivered is not always the message received. You see this played out every single week on TV news. Some high profile person is caught saying something and it is splattered all over the news as if the person had no right to speak out with emotion. Folks we all do it. If you say you do not then please stop reading my blogs because it is simply not true.

Should we be accountable to our words and actions? Yes of course, however we should also realize when people are speaking or acting out of character with their true self. In an effort to find self in our search for meaning we have to elicit emotional responses. That is where our passions reside. If we constantly have to be on guard and walk through life as stoic zombies we will never attain our God given potential.

It is up to us as a faith community to allow people to make mistakes and realize when something was said or done that in different circumstances would have different results. We tend to cling to that which we perceive as bad and shun from the possibility of things being good. Remember what I said in my last blog and it is worth repeating here, "the way we view the world is NOT the way the world really is". That also goes for people, the way we see others is not the way they really are. We all live with in the darkness of silence fearing our real self may pop out. Why do we fear such things? Because we fear condemnation and rejection from others. I hear people say all the time, "I don't care what others think about me". Oh yes you do, you may say you don't but oh you for sure do. With that being said let's focus not on the words people say but let's search for the intent of the heart. Let's let people spread their wings without fear of rejection or failure. We are a forgiving people which means we have the potential to reach heights others will never reach.

peace to you
Dale