Fingerprints

So it's one of those nights when I can't sleep. It's 2 AM. Been sitting here for hours trying to get sleepy and it's just not happening. So I was watching TV and the glare on the sliding glass door caught my eye. It is almost embarrassing but there are probably a hundred smudge marks. Fingerprints from the little ones.

I guess it is one of my "Dirty" Little secrets! Yes that is a pun! My walls, windows, and carpets often have the smudges and wear of the fingers and toes of my four children. It drives me crazy, the messes kids make. But there are days that I don't hurry to clean them? Sometimes I wonder why I am not that mother that runs behind my kids cleaning up every little mess they make. But as I sit here thinking of those smudges, it makes me realize that they aren't noticeable during the day. Especially the ones on the windows. They are almost transparent. They are there and they are visible but you have to look really hard. Even the walls. Most people don't notice the marks on your walls, they notice the pictures, and your decor.

Which leads me to my next thought. The smudges on windows are like the smudges on our heart. When someone is harsh or tries to hurt you the smudges are laid on your heart. They are not easily erased. The heart is not destroyed, it is still working but it carries these smudges as reminders. They remind you of the friends who hurt you, the loved ones you feel have left you behind, and maybe even poor choices that you made in your life. The only way to help these fade or be washed away is to forgive. It can be easy or it can be hard. It is a choice that was given by God.

Why did he give us this choice?

Maybe because he forgives us?

I have heard people say "I will forgive, but I will never forget!"

Is that a true forgiveness?

I don't believe so because you are still allowing that smudge to stay on your heart. It may not be on the surface but deep down you are saving it and hiding it away. Maybe to pull it back up one day and say hey look what you did to me.... those who hold on to those smudges are only holding on to the dirtiness of whats hidden in their hearts.

Imagine if you could look into a person's heart, what if you could see their filthy thoughts and the battle scars on their hearts. The writing on the wall so to speak. What might you see?


Imagine if you will, a homeless person they are judged by their smudges. Their dirty clothes and their untrimmed hair. The dirt on their hands and face. The smudges are outward and everyone can see them. No one knows their heart and yet they are judged by their appearance and not what is truly in their heart.



I am a friendly person, I will talk to a brick wall if it will stand there long enough. I never meet a stranger, but I do meet RUDE people. There are people you talk to and then the next time you see them they try to put you in your place, try to make you feel inferior, or make you feel like you don't belong. Like your opinion doesn't matter. It is hurtful.... so why do people choose to try to hurt other people? I believe their own insecurities build them into something they are not. So they feel the need to domineer a situation and make you feel little. They choose to be harsh and not care if they hurt your feelings. How do you handle situations or people like that? For me as a christian I pray, I pray for the evil and the corrupt world this has become where everyone wants to be better than the next person.


Honestly, it has taught me recently that I do not want to be that person. I want to be a loving and caring person in any situation. That is what the Bible teaches us to do, to love one another. I have heard a saying that goes something like this.... Keep you words sweet, as you may have to eat them later. My twist on this is if you keep them sweet you should never have to eat them as they will be gobbled up by those around you! Everyone loves a kind word or gesture. Anyone can put on a fake smile and pretend, but to go out of your way to compliment someone, is like icing on a cake!