Superficial World...

Many times in today’s world, I am finding that many people are either critical or disinterested when things go really well in my life or they are overly eager to hear about my failures, hurts and bumps along the way.  In this self-boasting “Facebook” world where everything in life is so perfect…perfect marriages, perfect spouses, perfect kids, perfect meals made and the overall perfect life, it seems there is rarely any room for the real world which consists of normalcy or mediocrity.  It almost seems that there is a true need to build ourselves up or exaggerate our lives so much that “realness” and complete “truthfulness” are things of the past.  It's as if, people are afraid to face their reality that isn't perfect or that doesn't mirror someone who they view as being perfect. I am and always have been a very genuine and real person…I say what I mean and I mean what I say. I am pretty transparent. To me, relationships are based on what’s real.  If I cannot be real with someone, there is no real need to have a relationship with that person.  Superficial relationships have never meant a lot to me and lack any sort of rewarding benefits.  I have never connected with superficial things or people.  For me, if I love you…I am going to love you wholeheartedly.  If I care about you…I will care about you with all that I am.  I think in relationships, we should be genuine, compassionate and honest.  I should show someone completely who I am and if they love me or like me for me…it’s a win!  Today, it seems that more and more people are more interested in their image of perfection than they are in the realness of life.  Being human means that there are bad times, that there are trials, that there are hurts, that there are days when your kids are bad, that there are days when your marriage is not so great, that there are days when your job stinks and maybe even days where you look really, really bad.  Heck, maybe you even fed your kids cereal for dinner.  Isn’t this real?  That’s real life for me.  Sure, there are good days and great occurrences in my life and I share those with friends, family members and I even share them on Facebook.  However, that is not how it goes every day.  I think people are so busy competing against one another and even against themselves that they are losing sight of the genuineness of the human heart.  I often times talk to people and I find myself being really, really candid, but I don’t receive the same thing in return.  The relationship on the other side is superficial and dishonest.  Their dishonesty isn’t even really with me, but with themselves.  Maybe...people today are too afraid of letting others know the real them. Everyone is trying so hard to keep up with the Joneses.  I get it, I do.  I want everything to be so great and perfect, but honestly…it just isn’t!  I own it…I claim it…everything in my life isn’t perfect...hence, this blog!  There are challenges and hiccups along the way and should I choose to open up and discuss those things with you, it’s nice to have someone who also experiences real life challenges and hiccups too.  Sometimes, I find that people just sit and eagerly listen to your struggles so that they can in turn tell you how great their life is.  It’s almost as if, your pain makes the other person feel better about themselves in that moment.   I also encounter those who have created such a false reality of perfection for themselves that they don’t have the ability to talk about real life issues or even listen to your struggles.  The relationships either strive on failures or strive solely on positivity.  Isn’t there an in-between?  Like I said, if I feel it or see it…I say it.  I have had friends in my life who I believe have gotten pleasure out of my hurt or suffering.  I have had family members who have enjoyed making me feel lower than them. To me, relationships shouldn’t be a competition. Relationships shouldn’t involve lies or demeaning behaviors.  Real relationships should be filled with love, compassion and honesty.  Afterall, isn't a relationship between two people?  I am not interested in a perfect person because there is no such thing.  I am also not interested in a person who is wearing a mask.  I am interested in a real person who I can be myself with, laugh with, cry with and celebrate this thing called life with.  If I live in a trailer they love me or if I live in a mansion they love me.  Competition is for business or for sport not for friendships and relationships.  For those people in my life who do share themselves…the real them and who love me even when I fall, you are so valuable to me.  In this increasingly superficial world, it’s so nice to experience real people who genuinely celebrate my accomplishments and who hurt for me when I am hurting.  To have a deep rooted relationship based on mutual honesty and support.  It’s like being on a team, you want the team to win…if one person loses…we all lose.  We build each other up and truly desire their success.  We can learn from each other too!  This is how the game is won!  So, we shouldn't be afraid to reveal our true selves and to find those who can be real in return. We don't have to hide our true selves behind a mask of perfection to be loved and accepted.  I refuse to put on the mask.

The Best Book Ever...

This is a must read.  I could not put this book down and when it was over, I cried.  This novel will take you on an emotional journey and will leave you in awe of what true love is...

Truth...

"I found my life when I laid it down."

"I touch the sky when my knees hit the ground."

Finding My Focus...

Image Credit: @voicingtruths

It’s been a while since I have blogged.  I’ve been a bit overwhelmed lately.  Today, I want to talk about trusting God through the turbulence.  Logically, I know I need to trust God.  As a child of God, I know I need to trust God.  Having trusted God in the past to carry me through the roughest of storms, He did in so many ways.  However, today…I confess, I am having a hard time trusting God.  I want to trust Him.  I want so desperately to believe He will help me!  I want to find reassurance in Him.  Lately, I feel as if God has been missing in action, silent, absent and as if he has forsaken me.  While, I know these things are not true…I struggle with this storm I am in and have been in for quite some time.  I have been going through this same steady storm for about three years.  While I have seen God do miraculous work while the storm raged over a three-year period, it’s as if the storm only calms for a moment.  Then, the seas begin wreaking havoc again.  I often times…most of the time feel like I am drowning and as I call out to Him, He only keeps my head just above water.  I ask why so long Dear Father?  Why won’t you take this pain from me Dear Father?  Where are you Dear Father?  The relief I need and that I’m begging for is something that I sincerely believe is His will.  My heart is genuine in seeking Him, His will and His purpose in all of this.  I know He sees that, but I feel alone.  I have thought many times, maybe He is teaching me something, maybe He is growing me, maybe He is equipping me or maybe it is not His timing, but three years is so long for me.  Feeling forsaken or alone is a dark and desperate place to be especially when it is your Father you are crying out to.  To Him, time is not like it is for us and I realize that.  Three years to me is a very long time to be lost out in the storm begging for relief.  I remember His promise of, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest”.  I am weary and I need rest!  So, why am I not receiving rest?  This is His promise to me.  How long must I hurt?  How long must I be in pain?  How long does He expect me to endure?  As a human…just a human, I don’t know how I can.  Where are You God?  Why are You silent?  When will You rescue me? 

I then find myself dealing with knowing how to respond while in the storm.  This is one of my biggest struggles every single day.  I find myself thinking, I know how to react and respond while I am caught up in this raging sea, but I don’t!  I don’t know what to do!  Most days, I find myself just barely breathing and then BAM…the next several days or weeks, I am left so desperate, helpless and defeated!  One step forward and three HUGE steps back.  I pray continuously for God to provide me with His direction and His wisdom as I walk through each day.  I need Him to show me HOW to get through this as I am going through it.  I do feel like a lost child searching for her Father!  It’s really tough as a believer when you go through this. 

If I am honest about it all…I know I have not been on my knees in prayer as I should be and I know I need to saturate myself in His word.  As one of my favorite songs states, “I touch the sky when my knees hit the ground”.  As I type this, I guess I am answering my own questions.  He needs to become my focus.  My problem is my focus now.  Wow!  He is not my focus right now…that’s the truth I am realizing.  I find myself justifying not putting Him first because I am so overwhelmed and desperate for relief with my current situation.  Maybe this issue has become an idol in my life?  It’s easy to unintentionally place idols before us so that we cannot reach our Father. I guess I have just thought that as His child, if I am hurting, in genuine pain, seeking His will and welcoming Him in…He would rescue me…at least within a three-year timeframe.  Maybe that isn’t true?  The truth is, I don’t have all of the answers.  The truth is, I am far from a good saint or perfect Christian.  I have so much more to learn and so many more ways to grow.  Often, my human thoughts and my human nature take over.

Now, as hard as it is…I will try to indulge in Him and put Him first.  The problem will follow and cannot consume me anymore.  TRUST…it’s a very hard thing…I must trust in Him.  I must focus on Him.  In doing this, His solution or answer will surely come.

Image Credit: EmilysQuotes.com

Pom Pom Wreath - My Next Crafting Adventure!

Image Credit: An Oregon Cottage and Tidbits

Look at these beautiful and unique pom pom wreaths with a rustic touch.  I am in love with these beauties.  I am going to work to make one of these very soon.  I will make sure to post some pics to my blog once finished.  This craft seems relatively easy and cheap, but is a bit time consuming.  You need a nice cream colored yarn or any color yarn you want to use,  a straw wreath (you leave the plastic on), a pom pom maker, some scissors and some push pins.  That's it!  I cannot wait to try my hand at these. I have looked in the craft stores for fluffy and creamy pom poms, but I cannot locate them. The only pom poms I find in the stores are the  ones you see for cheap kids crafts and that simply won't work. Maybe you could try your hand at these lovely wreaths. I want to use mine for Christmas time somewhere in my home.  I'll keep you posted.  

Do You Like FREE Things?...I Have $80.00 In Freebies For You!

FREE!!!! Who doesn't like a deal or huge savings or FREE things? How many of you cut coupons and shop sales? Who likes BOGO deals? Just about EVERYONE!!!

I am offering you something free...an $80.00 gift for FREE! I am offering you this just to TRY the best skin care out there. There is absolutely no risk whatsoever. If you don't love your products after 60 days...you get a MONEY BACK GUARANTEE! On top of that, you would keep the Mineral Peptide powder I give you and the $20.00 visa gift card!

So, if you have dark spots, sun damage, fine lines and wrinkles, acne, acne scars, rosacea, skin sensitivity or just about any other issue out there...Rodan + Fields has THE SOLUTION! Give it a try. It cannot hurt. You just sign up as a Preferred Customer of mine and buy one of our regimens to try for 60 days...that's it! I am here to help you put your best face forward. Let's chat!!!

Let's Chat...

Rodan + Fields Reverse

If you have sunspots, melasma, dark spots, too many freckles, dull skin, fine lines and wrinkles, THIS is the regimen for you!  I dare you to Google...Rodan and Fields Reverse regimen before and after photos!  Go ahead...you'll be amazed at the REAL RESULTS you see on REAL PEOPLE.  This is a huge game changer.  It is like an eraser for the face.  Give it a try! You can visit the Shop R + F tab at the top of this blog or you can visit my facebook page and message me at:

https://www.facebook.com/AdrienneShemaRF/?ref=py_c

Let me help you with your skin concerns!

My Gift to YOU...September 2016

This month, you can get this Mineral Peptide makeup for FREE!  Yes, this month, I will buy you the amazing Rodan + Fields Mineral Peptide makeup. When you sign up as a Preferred Customer of mine and order one of four regimens offered by R+F...you get this groundbreaking product for FREE! Oh YEAH!  Not only will you get this product from me, but you will get a $20 Visa gift card from me as well, you will get 10% off of your order and you will get free shipping!!!!  If you have been considering trying Rodan + Fields, this is a great time to make that move. Why not?  You get all of these perks, a free product and you get a 60 day empty bottle money back guarantee! This company and these products are life changing. Peptides boost collagen...collagen is the main structural component providing firmness and shape to our skin.  Makeup that works all day to make you age backwards?  Ummm, yes please! I am pretty sure we can all use a little collagen in our lives.  These beauty builders come in three shades and they are really universal for any skin tone.  They also have an SPF of 20.  Imagine the results when you combine this makeup with one of our regimens? I'd love to give you this for FREE, won't you let me? Just click on the Shop R+F tab at the top of this blog. You can also message me at https://www.facebook.com/AdrienneShemaRF/?ref=py_c

Holy Spirit, You Are Welcome Here!

Image Credit: @BarbaraRainey via Twitter

THIS...THIS is what I have been praying about for so many years.  I pray that God would dwell in my home and be the head of my household through the Holy Spirit.  You see, I am a child of the living God so I have the Holy Spirit dwelling in me per The Holy Bible. However, I know that there is evil in this world.  I know that there is evil we can experience here via crimes and unmentionables done by other humans...we can see that evil.  But, I know that there is an evil out there that we cannot see.  That evil is of the spiritual realm which is the unseen to us.  As a believer, I know that evil seeks to destroy and I know that he especially wants to destroy God's children.  That being said, in today's society with all of the witchcraft, sorcery, violent video games and even much of what we watch and hear, we are exposed to evil...the things we can see.  Our minds are exposed to things which they shouldn't be as God's children.  We have become desensitized to what is acceptable in God's eyes and what is not... so, we often times partake in tv shows, movies, music, video games, etc that are not. When we do this or allow our children to do this, we are unknowingly welcoming evil into our homes. WHAT?  Yes, you read that right. I understand that non-believers and maybe even some believers will believe this is ridiculous and may even think I am crazy.  I am okay with that though.  I know the truth so I will speak it. Simple things such as movies or tv shows with sorcery, pornography, sexual content, music that is harsh and vulgar, video games with murder, zombies and other evil things are all things that we may allow into our home.  Our kids just want to play the video games in which they kill or watch Harry Potter which has sorcery, our husbands may watch movies with explicit sexual content or maybe we do, we may listen to music today with so much profanity or obscenity or even let our children sing along to inappropriate lyrics and we may even wear clothes or watch shows that make a mockery of God or Jesus.  These things are not of Him, but are of this world.  This is how evil slowly takes hold of us and how we slowly grow accustomed to it.  It seeps in slowly.  It comes in to our homes and covers our families and we wonder what is wrong with the world today? We are losing sight of Him and what is good and even worse, we are justifying it.  We are also blind to it. Once these things saturate your home, evil will have a strong presence in your home. That evil can produce defiant children, an acceptance of what is wrong in this world, a higher tolerance of what we will allow to be viewed in our home, fights between husbands and wives, drug use, porn addiction, deceit among family members and the list goes on and on. There are consequences for allowing evil into your home and into your life.  It took me so long to figure this out.  At one time, my home contained some of these very things and my family began to crumble.  Pureness, goodness and love are lost.  I finally see that often times we have permitted so much evil into our homes that God/Holy Spirit will not enter even if we are His children.  God cannot be a part of your home and protect your home along with those who live in it if evil is rampant knowingly or unknowingly.  Your home is to be a representation of Him as you should be also.  So, maybe it's time to do some cleaning? Maybe just maybe the tension in your homes stem from God not fully coming in. Maybe just maybe your defiant children are a result of the tv and music you let them watch and hear. The list goes on and on.  Maybe it is time that we become aware of what we allow into our homes.  Maybe it is time we protect our families from this world and its chaos. Our home is our safe place...that is where we should be and feel safest.  We cannot be very safe without our Father dwelling with us. It's time to let Him in and kick evil out!  It's time to be accountable for what we permit in our homes.  I promise (I know through personal experience) that once you cleanse your home of the evil things and repent and sincerely invite God into your home...He will enter.  He will enter at last.  He will protect you and your family and He will draw nearer to you! Welcome the Holy Spirit in to dwell. We are ultimately in control of what we allow in our homes and in our minds.  We are in control of who we allow to dwell in our homes...good or evil.  The spiritual world is real and good or bad will grab hold of you and affect your life one way or the other.  What's it going to be for you?  Here are some beautiful lyrics to a really great song by christian artist, Francesca Battistelli...

"Holy Spirit, You are welcome here

Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere

Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for

To be overcome by Your presence, Lord

Your presence, Lord"

Maybe there is something to this...maybe the Holy Spirit has to be welcomed into your home and into your life. Remember, God is not a god who forces Himself on you or demands of you.  However, His light will not mix with the dark.  Just something for you to ponder. Consider what is in your home and consider if it serves as good or evil.  Is it a reflection of your faith? Then, consider how it may be affecting your family.  I promise when you welcome the Holy Spirit in and turn from darkness, He will enter.  Once this happens, the Holy Spirit will not let the evil in.  Make sense? 

Inheritance by Graham Cooke

Video Credit:  MamboMick via youtube.com

This video has touched me so many times.  A few years ago, my brother sent me this video when I was going through hard times.  It inspired me and made clear to me how deeply and UNCONDITIONALLY HE loves ME!  I hope that this video will inspire you too and will help you understand how much He loves you!  He loves YOU and ME no matter what!  That's who HE is.  Just try and grasp this truth. 

Quickly Becoming An Obsession...Wheat

I am completely obsessed with natural elements in decorating. I love wood, pinecones, cotton, burlap, birch and now wheat among many other things. Look at this beautiful stuff! I believe I have just found my next craft...stay tuned. This can be found at Michael's and Hobby Lobby and I am going to get some!  I have already purchased a few pre-made bunches for the top of my kitchen cabinets and I love it the more I look at it. Now, I want to go and buy loose bunches of it and put them together and make a wheat only arrangement. You guys don't know how excited I get when I come across things like this. Instead of the old floral arrangements that used to adorn houses back in the late 90's and early 2000's...it's time to bring natural back! This will soon adorn my countertop or table. Gorgeous!

Fall Wreath 2016

Look at this beautiful fall ribbon!  I found this ribbon at Michael's.  I love it!  The plaid reminded me of a scarecrow and I just loved the striped ribbon.  This ribbon was only $4.99 each.  I have so much left that I think I need to find some sort of use for it for the fall season inside of my home! I had the grapevine wreath already, but you can get them for $4.00 - $12.00 typically depending the size you choose and where you purchase them. The cotton was also purchased at Michael's. This is probably the most expenive item.  It costs about $6.00 - $10.00 a twig depending on where you purchase it.  It is often times hard to find.  I wanted to incorporate the cotton for interest and to break up the darker colors.  I left the ribbon on the rolls and while the wreath was lying flat on the kitchen table, I placed the striped ribbon where I wanted it on the wreath first.  I actually use brown pipe cleaners to hold the ribbon in place where I want it on the entire wreath.  I cut the pipe cleaner into about 1.5 - 2 inch pieces.  This works really well.  It's easy to work with too!  Hobby Lobby is where I usually get my pipe cleaner, but I know Michael's sells it too.  It comes in packages and it's super cheap and lasts me a long time. The color options are endless.  I use pipe cleaner when I decorate my Christmas tree also.  I then followed the same steps with the plaid ribbon...placing it where I wanted it on my wreath and adhering it to the wreath with pipe cleaners.  Then, I used another longer pipe cleaner to attach my big bow to the wreath. Finally, I carefully placed my cotton throughout the wreath.  The cotton comes as long twigs, but I cut mine into shorter pieces so I can place easily throughout my wreath.  That's it...easy peasy!  There is nothing quite like taking some time out to craft.  It is so peaceful and calming to me.  I enjoy it so much.  Then, when you are done, you have something you created and that cost half the price.  Give it a try and see what you can create!  It's almost fall y'all!

Why Forgive?

Image Credit:  CROSSPOINTE CHURCH & crazylittlethingcalledlove

I must admit, I haven't always been someone who forgives.  I still struggle with it sometimes today. Forgiveness was always hard for me.  Until recently, I've always felt like the perpetrator or the person who hurt me either knowingly or unknowingly needed to understand what they did and be sorry for what they did before I could offer them my forgiveness. If that person didn't have remorse, show remorse and fully grasp how they wronged me, I held on to my anger, hurt and bitterness toward them.  I also wouldn't really forgive them even if  I said I did and even if I thought I did. I have been hurt throughout my life by family members and friends. Some people have hurt me tremendously.  Whether it be abuse, abandonment or words...I have been hurt by others. The worst part is, I have learned that most people do not hold themselves accountable for the part they play in hurting others.  When it comes down to it, it's much easier for folks to point the finger at the one they wronged or justify their hurtful actions rather than accept that they were wrong. I have had arguments and disagreements with people whom I love. There have been battles, words exchanged and silent treatments...this came from both ends. Recently, as I went through the trials in my marriage and was about three baby steps away from my divorce...God did a work in me. He did more work in me than I even realized at the time. It began with my husband. I was so angry, withdrawn, bitter, resentful and so busy placing so much misguided blame on him that until God shook up my thinking , opened up my heart and showed me the truth, I wasn't able to get past how I was hurting.  For the first time, I was able to see that I was withdrawn, bitter, resentful and blameful because of my PRIDE. I was too focused on how I felt my husband should be or what I felt my husband shouldn't be doing that I neglected to see how I wronged him. How did I hurt him? Because of my pride and bitterness, my husband was the recipient of much slander, destruction and character assassination from me. Yet, I couldn't see it because I was so busy not forgiving! I missed how I was wrong! I missed how I was hurting him and ultimately our marriage! Yes, I played a HUGE roll in the downfall of our marriage for such a long time.  I actually grew accustomed to disliking him and blaming him.  I couldn't see that he didnt' deserve at all what I was doing to him and how my actions were destroying his respect for me and the respect he received from others. In my anger, bad things were done to him and his character because "I was so hurt"!  I didn't realize that I could be hurt and not turn to lashing out. I should have turned it over to my Father in Heaven so that He could walk me through the hurt I was feeling and lead me to what I understand today. I caused so much needless wreckage in my marriage!  I was accountable and responsible for hurt too!  I was not the wife I should have been. I didn't love my husband selflessly!  I didn't support my husband endlessly!  I failed!  Instead, because I couldn't forgive him while things were so minor and because I couldn't accept who he was, I ended up destroying the ONLY man I have ever loved.  I chose to hold on to whatever wrongs I perceived he committed.  I understand now that I wasn't able to forgive and so much carnage was done because I was in control and I was angry.  I didn't turn any issues I had or feelings of despair I had over to Him!  God looks to heal and grow you. He is not interested in you or your marriage falling apart.  So, back to my separation...I had turned things over to my Father...finally.  I had been praying and seeking Godly counsel for many months and unbeknownst to me, God was doing a huge change in me.  Starting out, I was looking to get through how my husband had hurt me. I didn't think God would show me how I failed, but that's exactly what He did. Before I knew it, people were seeing changes in me.  I eventually realized how horrible I had been to my husband, how I had failed him, how I had betrayed his trust and how I had rejected him. I hurt him beyond belief and I was able to finally see it.  God opened up my eyes and showed me where I needed to improve and showed me that I had never really forgiven anything.  Understand that unforgiveness and pride are like parasites...they destroy.  They destroy not only you, but they destroy relationships and the people that you love! As soon as God revealed to me all I had done wrong through much prayer and counseling, I ran to my husband with the desire to salvage my marriage by being who God called me to be...the wife I was called to be.  I love the pictures above..what they say just spoke to me.  True forgiveness is "Giving Up Your Right to Get Even" and it involves "forgiving and forgetting not seeking revenge and regret"!!! Wow, wow, wow and wow!!! This definitely used to pertain to me.  This was me!  I believe this is the way many people are. They say, I forgive you, but in essence...they really don't. The wrong still lingers constantly in your mind and you as the offended bring up the wrongs committed toward you at every turn. The perpetrator is consistently the receiver of the blame so that you cannot see the error of your own ways and you cannot be set free.  You are so saturated in your anger, bitterness and resentment that you don't see that you are drowning.  The parasites have a hold on your life and your future because you are choosing unforgiveness. True forgiveness is FREEDOM! Even if the other person isn't sorry or doesn't understand what they have done to you...YOU are the one who will continue to pay because of your inability to let it go...truly let it go.  Love keeps no records of wrongs.  Think about that. Love dismisses wrongs completely whether deserved or not. Think about this, Jesus Christ was God in the flesh and He NEVER sinned. He never did one thing wrong...ever.  He didn't even know what wrong felt like. Compared to His pureness and holiness, we are evil!  We are covered in filth.  The day He was undeservingly crucified, He was dying for EVERYONE who has ever lived and who will ever live.  That day alone, He was spat on, He was beaten, His skin was ripped from His body with whips, He was mocked, He was hated, He was made fun of, He was kicked and ultimately...His damaged and shattered body and spirit were placed on a rugged cross. He was literally nailed to a cross with stakes placed in both His hands and feet.  The Highest of high, the Holiest of Holies and God in the flesh was crucified by those He came to die for. He was hung in between to criminals who were also being crucified.  You and I put Him there just as the people of that day did.  What's amazing is He FORGIVES us...freely. He FORGIVES us because of who He is not because we deserve it.  If He can forgive us for doing that to Him, shouldn't we be able to forgive anything done to us...freely?  The amazing thing is that Jesus NEVER brings up our sin, He NEVER says you did this to me, He NEVER says work for my love and forgiveness.  He has NEVER asked for anything in return. He was murdered by us and He LOVES US.  He is the one true example of love and forgiveness.  Aren't we to learn from Him?  Aren't we supposed to live our lives as He did? What makes us too big and too good to forgive anyone?  We are just as dirty as everyone else.  Our PRIDE will not let us forgive the wrongs done to us!  Forgiveness = dismissal. We cannot heal unless we fully forgive.  This is what I experienced...this is what God did with me.  He got rid of my PRIDE and my INABILITY TO FORGIVE.  I was 37 years old!  It was a lesson I had to learn the hard way! Now, I am dealing with the aftermath of that pride and unforgiveness and frankly, it's horrible.  God will hold me and me alone accountable for my choice to forgive or not. Matthew 7:5 from the bible says, "You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."  In other words, don't judge a person for what they do because you too have done wrong!  God is the only one who can place a level or grading scale on your sin, we cannot because in His eyes, all sin is equal. My wrongs/sins are equal to your wrongs/sins.  Everything we do to each other is so minor compared to what we did to Him.  Can you forgive like Him?  I have had disagreements with family and friends and have been very hurt by them...sometimes repeatedly.  I am walking a fine line right now on how to decipher between true Godly forgiveness and deciding if certain relationships are just not good for me. Can you forgive and not return to certain relationships?  Can you forgive and return to relationships without any disdain?  I think you can. For example, marriage is a convenant that is lifelong between two spouses and God.  I believe that God has equipped us to forgive our spouses and stay in our marriages, but we must CHOOSE to do so. My struggle is knowing that I have fully forgiven and am free from any sort of grudge.  I don't want that in my life.  I am also trying to understand why people aren't accountable for their own actions.  Why do people refuse to see where they are wrong?  I have to understand and accept that it is not my place to make them accountable or to make them see. It is His job.  I am only responsible for me. When I forgive, I am learning to forgive fully. I know that I have forgiven and I know that I am forgiven when wrongs are not brought up anymore, when there is no lashing out in anger and there is love again!  I have grown a lot and I am still a work in progress.  I am far from perfect and I do a lot of wrongs, but I am grateful for those who love me enough and who love themselves enough to forgive me! More than that, I am grateful to my Father above who taught me what true forgiveness is...letting go, bringing it up no more, trusting to start over and loving more than resenting. I choose to forgive because it sets me free and it makes me more like Him!