Siggy's Blurbs: Siggy's Edge of Country …

We never meet the expectations of our mate.  Sometimes they are reasonable.  Sometimes they are not.  Each of us are very flawed.  Another way to say the same thing is each person sins.  Not one would say they are perfect (or never makes a mistake).  That is why forgiveness at the end of the day is so important–to wipe our slate clean.  We never completely meet the expectations of our mate.  It is impossible.  We are all imperfect.

Tags: each person sins, end of the day, expectations, forgiveness, God, make a mistake, our mate, perfect, sin, we are all imperfect, we are flawed, wipe our slate clean
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‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…’ is the opening lines of the Psalm King David wrote (the twenty-third Psalm).  Know when you are struggling, He will never forsake you.  Humans might, but not The Almighty.

Repeat those lines over and over even when you feel out of control and there is no hope.  Cling to those words until they become saturated in every corner of your being.

Know He will take care of your every need, know He will not forsake you even in your darkest hour.  By all means read the rest of that psalm.  Just know he will fill every need you have and will never forsake you even when others let you down.

We are all imperfect and flawed.  ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.’  If that is all you have, that is all you need.  Never lose sight He cares about every thing you do and say.

He is always at your side.  Never lose sight of that.  And make sure you do not fight your fight alone for others will pick you up when you slip and fall.

So find a body in a church you are comfortable with.  You have to make yourself accountable to others.  It matters.  Another person can pick you up when you fall.  And we all do.  And God works through others.

Tags: accountable to others, Bible, church, cling to those words, do not fight alone, God works through others, He cares about you, He is always at your side, He will never forsake you, He will take care of every need, I shall not want, King David, let others help you, others pick you up, people let you down, Psalm 23, slip and fall, The Almighty, The Lord is my Shepherd, there is no hope, we are flawed, we are imperfect, your darkest hour
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A marriage (or any other committed relationship) gives you another chance to do your childhood all over.  That seems like an odd statement but think about it:  your mate comes from at best similarly though not totally alike childhoods raised by different parents.

You always have blind spots.  And so does your partner.  Marriage gives you an opportunity to expose some of these.  And change in the process.  Live with a person day in and day out and you have seen the positive and negative points of your partner.

And some of these points you were blind to until you had them pointed out usually in some kind of conflict.  Every relationship has conflict.  And conflict forces you to reexamine attitudes you possess that you may not have given much thought to until they caused you problems.

Usually couples who do not fight with one another are not dealing with their differences and flaws they possess.  Compromises ensure the success in the relationship.  And sparks usually fly in the process.

Eventually hopefully the rough edges between both of you are smoothed out.  Marriage gives you the opportunity to face blind spots and grow.  In a way no other common institution does.

Tags: blind spots, childhood, compromise, conflict, couples, marriage, parents, relationships, smooth out rough edges, sparks fly, we are flawed, your mate, your partner
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Each person creates their own hell.  Each of us are flawed and struggle with different things.  Telling yourself your situation is not as bad as someones else does not help.

It is too easy for you to point out others’ flaws.  Usually you are blind to your own.  Each person has their own reality.  And your struggles are unique.

Somehow you have to look at yourself from the outside as if you were stranger to see how you truly are.  This is very difficult to do.  Friends’ (and enemies’) feedback can help.

Their feedback can possibly suggest better, more productive ways of dealing with your problems.  Most of the time you are your own worst enemy.  You create your own hell.

Tags: blind to our faults, create your own hell, dealing with problems, difficult, feedback from friends, other people's flaws, our own reality, productive, see yourself from the outside, unique struggles, we are flawed, your are your own worst enemy, your situation
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The smallest social unit within your family is your partner.  Do you treat him/her with kindness and love.  It matters.  How can you possibly treat others with love and kindness if you can not even treat the person who is closest to you that way?

Of course, kindness starts off with you, your thoughts, your self talk.  If you can treat yourself with tolerance and love, fully aware you are flawed and forgive yourself for blundering and, also, ask others for forgiveness when you have hurt them.

I find it interesting in the Lord’s Prayer it states, ‘And forgive our debts, as well as we forgive our debtors’ (Matthew 6-12).  You have to ask God for the forgiveness of you sins first before can you can forgive others for hurting you.

If you love those who God puts in your life (and it starts off with your mate) you can transform the world.  Never discount the power of one.  Every movement started off with one person so never discount yourself.

Tags: ask for forgiveness, Bible, blunder, forgive others, forgive yourself, forgiveness, God, hurt, kindness, Lord's Prayer, love, love others, Matthew, never discount yourself, our debtors, our debts, self talk, social unit, the Bible, the power of one person, thoughts, tolerance, transform the world, we are flawed, your mate, your partner
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I don’t understand hate but what I do know love, forgiveness and kindness would transform this earth if it was practiced by everyone.  I know it is not an easy formula for peace.

Humans (including myself) are very flawed.  It does not matter what you do for a living.  Some may be impressed by that but what most people remember is how you treated them.  If it was with love and kindness, they may remember that for a long time.

Forgiveness is in the equation because humans make mistakes with one another and hurt one another.  It does not matter if it was intentional or not.  It just happens.

And forgiveness give us a “clean slate” and lets us start afresh with one another.  And forgiveness has a price.  It is not easy.

I read in a book all God asks of us is to forgive each other.  Wouldn’t that transform the world if everyone did that?

And this starts in the most basic social unit–the family.  And then make wider circles:  your neighbors, your state, your country.  And it has to start in the family first.

Tags: clean slate, forgive each other, forgiveness, God, how you treat people, hurt each other, kindness, love, neighbor, peace on earth, social unit, start afresh, the family, transform the earth, we are flawed, we make mistakes
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