There have been more than a few moments in my life that if an audio or video recorder had been taping, I’d be horribly ashamed to watch or listen. It would be even more humiliating for those moments to be publicly released. I’ve yelled at my kids, I’ve said awful things to my husband…I’ve acted out in a way that didn’t represent what I truly believe. Those moments often stem from my own needs and hurts, and usually have nothing to do with the targets of my actions.

We all have those moments when we do things that don’t represent who we are or what we deep-down believe, and those are the moments we usually regret the most. They’re the moments that come back to haunt us in the dead of night.

Why would someone famous be any different? Specifically, why would Mel Gibson be any different?

Unfortunately, Gibson’s irrational, drunken, angry moments have been released to the public. And we, the public, seem to base his reputation on those moments. But is a reputation the totality of a person? Not likely. Unfortunately, instead of throwing out the bad, and choosing to focus on the good, we often allow a few ugly moments in time to define a person.

It’s as though we don’t have enough to deal with in our own lives, so we gossip based on what we think is true about others. Whether it’s the neighbor down the street, a co-worker, or a public persona, we talk about others to deflect the attention from our own needs and hurts.

Hurt people sometimes hurt others. Whether it’s Gibson’s behavior or our gossip, both stem from a place of hurt. We could all benefit from a little more grace and forgiveness from one another. Forgiven people should forgive others.

Who do you know that might benefit from your grace and forgiveness today?

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