to steve harvey, in light of last night...

i have a wildly unexplainable urge to give you a gift.
a gift it seems most are unwilling to offer.
but one that i extend to you with a heart full of sincere love.

you see, each of us have been given a free gift.
the gift of forgiveness.
all the mistakes and transgressions and short-comings.
wiped clean.
once and for all.

so for the life of me, i will never understand why we can't offer forgiveness to others in light of their mistakes?

apparently you made a mistake last night.
and unfortunately, it is all anyone cares to discuss today.

we don't have cable.
so i didn't see what happened.
nor do i care to watch the replay that is trending all through social media.
and i don't have twitter.
therefore, i didn't catch the mispelled word.
but something tells me that typing philippians instead of philippines bears much weight.

for to walk worthy of the Gospel is to humbly admit our mistakes.

some mistakes are broadcast live from a big stage with millions of viewers.
while others are buried deep in dark places for only one to see.
yet both can bring the bloodied mess of ridicule and gossip and sneers.

none of us leave this place unscathed and without the scars of mistakes.
but most of us do not have the courage to offer a sincere apology and hold our heads high.
instead, our puffed up pride blocks our view of the truth.
the pit of hell unleashes the damnest of lies and we chain ourselves to guilt and shame.
shackled in our own dispair, we allow the mockers' voices to ring truer than the One who frees us from such darkness.

because the truth of the matter is this.

we can do all the hard things with His strength.

no one ever said apologies were easy.
and looking up and moving forward can be harder than you think.

but somewhere along the way, you catch a glimpse of the One who holds your focus.
and you know.
that forgetting your mistakes and looking forward to what lies ahead is far more beautiful.
for our reward is not of this world. 

turn a deaf ear to the ridicule and nasty remarks.
for our hearts are tuned to hear His grace.
ignore what is trending.
and focus on what is true and noble and pure.
for that which is praiseworthy is worthy of our attention.


and keep doing the hard work of forgiving yourself.
because that is the toughest apology you will ever accept.