DAY 914... I Am a Sinner

We all sin. No one is perfect. Of course we may feel as though we are surrounded by people who appear or think that they are perfect, but that's a farse. I think that once a person accepts that they make mistakes and understands that it is okay not to be perfect, they actually become a little more perfect.

When I was in high school I tried really hard to obey rules given to me and looked down on my friends or others when they made a mistake. I foolishly considered them to be bad people due to their mistakes. Several years later and after I had made many many many mistakes of my own, I contacted those friends and apologized for my actions and behavior towards them. You see it took me making my own mistakes and knowing my feelings and intentions to realize that even though they made mistakes, that did not make them a bad person. It made them real. Once I made my own set of mistakes I became more understanding and more accepting of the power of forgiveness.

I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon church) and I have a tattoo. This is frowned upon by most members of my church and I completely understand why. I frequently encounter people eyeing my tattoo and glaring at me and judging me for it. I am use to it after 7 years. But just because I physically have a reminder of my sins, doesn't make it any worse than any other sins. Most sins don't leave a physical mark, but mine did. How does that make me worse of a person than anyone else? It doesn't. And because I made that choice, it has helped me to understand how good people are capable of making bad decisions. Being constantly judged for my sins has reminded me not to judge others.

I am definitely not suggesting that everyone go out and get a tattoo so that they can understand forgiveness and how good people do sin, I am just saying that it benefited me. My sins changed me from a judge mental human being to a forgiving and more understanding woman. I appreciate that learning opportunity. 

Why are we so quick to judge others when we have absolutely no idea what road they have traveled? I'm guilty of doing that in the past, but it's something that I am constantly working on doing better at. I want to be better because I know the pain and the hurt that can develop from judging others. We all sin, whether or not we choose to accept that is our own choice, but it's truth. We just need to stop talking long enough to stop and think and realize that we don't know what someone else has been through. We don't know what is driving them to make those decisions, so we certainly cannot judge them. I suggest we replace judging with unconditional love. You do not have to agree with the decisions that people are making, but you can be there for them to listen to them, to love them, and to offer support or advice if it's asked for.

I am a sinner, and I am okay with that.