5/19/05: Living on defense

Let go of the temptation to defend, justify, validate or otherwise explain yourself. What you do is between you and your Source.

The only explaining you have to do is to yourself. You do not answer to anyone except yourself, and even then, you have no true authority. The authority belongs to God.

When you have wronged someone, express your true feelings without defending or justifying your actions. Simply state your intentions behind your actions; they may not have been noble and pure but stating them allows honesty to dissolve the power behind them.

When you hide, defend or justify your actions, you are feeding into the shame, guilt and fear that caused the action to begin with. You are spiraling into a never ending cycle of more shame, guilt and fear, and more wrongdoings.

Being honest, without making excuses for your actions or who you are, is a major step to accepting and loving yourself exactly as you are. When you love yourself with the inner conviction that you are good in the eyes of God, it matters not what others think.

When you relinquish the need to look better in the eyes of another, to be accepted, forgiven, understood, liked or loved, you begin to live a life of freedom, integrity and greatness.