When I walk in,

I hear “welcome” a thousand times.

I’m nervous and my hands shake.

“Welcome”

I look all around and find where to get out.

“Just in case,” I tell myself.

I always seem to have this problem.

New places. New faces.

“Welcome”

The part where things change.

The part where I run away.

My mom always told me it was okay.

“Everyone is scared of change,” she says,

But mom isn’t here now, is she?

“Welcome.”

My heartbeat speeds up,

I curse myself inside.

“I’m here to make friends,” I think,

“I didn’t come this far to hide.”

“Welcome.”

But I know the real me isn’t good enough,

So I keep her inside.

“Wow I can’t believe she did that.”

Aren’t we all so quick to say that above statement? We’re so amazingly fast to judge other people by their actions and their mistakes, that we often forget that above all else they are a person. They are a person that God created for a purpose, but after one simple slip up or after one thing that we deem inappropriate, we choose to ignore that. We ignore that they have a soul, a heart, feelings, a human consciousness. They were designed by an all knowing being who thought that the world would be better off with them. Doesn’t that count for something?

Truth be told, we ALL make mistakes. Every single person. Even you, the person reading this right now. And when it’s our own selves who mess up, we think we deserve a second chance, right? We feel really badly about what has happened and we want to be cut some slack. Or maybe we don’t even realize that we’ve made a mistake yet. But 9 times out of 10, what makes a true difference in our life is someone that is willing to come along and look past and underneath our mistakes and view us as a person deserving of love and acceptance. We need that person so badly, but on the flip side we lack the ability to be that person for someone else.

Reflect on your own life. When’s a time you’ve messed up? When is a time when someone stepped in and made a difference in your life? Or maybe even made a difference in your walk with God? I highly doubt that they did that through judgement or hate, but rather with love. With love as God would have us approach all things.

As we enter this new year, I ask that everyone take a moment for self reflection. Stop whispering about someone as they walk by. Stop sharing Facebook posts or retweeting things that promote hate and shaming. Reach out in love. Be the sinner’s friends. Because everyone has been the sinner.

“And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4:8‬ ‭KJV‬‬

I think I am a superhero because

I cannot be broken.

I have been stomped on,

Beaten,

Bruised,

Stabbed in the back,

But I still remain.

I think I am a superhero because

I am good at blending in,

Like a chameleon.

Or maybe it’s that I’m good at being invisible--

Nevertheless, they can’t see me.

None of them do.

Maybe that makes me a superhero,

Or maybe I’m just the same as you.