It’s a new day! profound thought, isn’t it? Today my goal is to remember things. I think the art of remembering is tying things together. Attach a thought that you want to remember to something solid. We are reminded that it IS a new day because the Sun comes up! We are reminded about many things by other things.
When I was just a teen (yes, it is hard to remember that, it WAS a long time ago), but it was a time when Charcoal grills had just hit the scene and we had one. It was great except it took forever to get the charcoal started, once you accomplished that…the food was good! Except for chicken. Chicken was always a problem. Whenever I see burnt chicken I am reminded of how much my Mother HATED burned food, especially chicken, but my sister and I always wanted to grill chicken. Because our Mother would complain about the burnt chicken, by Sister would tell her…but that is how we like it! LOL For some reason, we never could get it done before it burned. I now know that grilling chicken is an art. Either you grill it until it is nicely browned and put it in the oven to finish it off, or you drop it in some water and pre-boil it before you put it on the grill or you bake it first and finish it off on the gas grill. Charcoal has lost it’s charm in my life. Moving on is part of life, and moving on means enjoying the immediate gratification of instant heat. Gas grills “rock!”
I wonder how it is that we forget so easily? It seems that we make the same mistakes again and again. One of the things I don’t like about those mistakes is the fact that you don’t realize it is the same mistake until you have “done it again!” Perhaps if we tie that mistake to a locking object we will stop making that mistake and never have a “do over!”
I remember having to memorize things in school. I practiced the art of Planting those things in my brain. I would say…I have to remember this. And then I would go over it until I got it right…It is kind of like the “save” button on your computer. Get it right…or mostly right and then hit “save.” You can always change it, but for the moment you have the words locked up, and with any luck you won’t accidently delete them. Remembering is exactly the same. You have to make a point of storing those items in your head, otherwise they will be like thoughts…here today and gone in two seconds.
There are certain words we want to remember for specific occasions. When someone is complaining about their life, it is hard to say the right words. Sometimes you just want to tell them that they are their own worst enemy. Quit saying all the negative stuff, and move on. Stuff happens, not planned, you didn’t cause it, you can’t fix it, and in a hundred years it is not going to matter. This works, if you are a good friend but a casual acquaintance needs a little more finesse. Perhaps it would be best to say…”I am so sorry that happened to you.” or “I can appreciate that!” Yep, sometimes it is best not to say… “too bad, so sad.” This is a person you don’t want to offend, and would like to get to know better, or perhaps develop a relationship with. Words are important and taking someone’s hurt and dis-respecting it does not bode well for the relationship.
As the years pass we learn some of these things. It is good to remember them, store them in our brain for the next time this scenario plays out.
I think the hardest situations to deal with are those who are always complaining. It makes you not want to be around them. Sometimes you can see the problem a mile off, and would surely like to tell them what to do, but maybe that is not your concern.
Bitterness in people is tough…it usually stems from something that has hurt them deeply that they cannot get past. A betrayal is a biggie. You have to have experienced that in your own life, without a doubt, most people have! It hurts….it is not something that can just be glossed over. You literally have to acknowledge it, recognize how it hurts you, and how sad it made you feel and then you must forgive it. You don’t have to forget it, because it would be totally stupid to allow yourself to be betrayed a second or third time by the same person, but you have to forgive, otherwise it becomes a big stumbling block in your own life. Unforgiveness only affects you. The person who hurt you will not be affected by your lack of forgiveness, and will probably never ask you to forgive them…so you have to take it upon yourself to NOT hurt yourself over and over again by the actions of someone else. Let it go. Release it… lay it down, refuse to let it eat away at your heart. Closure is not when judgment comes to another. It only happens when we forgive. The Bible is pretty clear about forgiveness. It says that if you don’t forgive others, then YOU will not be forgiven. Yikes! So forgive and move on…Let it go.
If you can’t remember this, then it will be an issue for a very long time… Memorize this, and remind yourself of it whenever this bridge needs to be crossed again. Here is a quote for you, plant it in your brain for future reference! Ready? Here it is:
“Hating someone, holding a grudge or failing to forgive, is like burning down YOUR OWN HOUSE, to get rid of a rat!”
That’s it for today! Blessings to you all…Thanks for reading my musings.
Prayyior
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