“Lord, Patawad”…Do You Haggle or Let It Go? #atozchallenge2014

The Lenten season has just passed. Lent is always a time to reflect not on what bad things other people have done to you and plotting out what steps to take to avenge yourself. Rather, it is a time to reflect on what wrong things YOU have done against God, others, and even yourself. It is a time to change and be kinder. It is a time to say, to quote a currently very popular local rap song, “Lord, Patawad.”

“Patawad,” which is how you shorten “Patawarin mo ako,” means “Please forgive me” in Filipino. You ask forgiveness or kapatawaran.

However, it should not be construed as “patawadin” or simply asking for a tawad, which is the term to use when you haggle with a seller or a customer over the price of something that is commonly tangible. Come to think of it, that’s what most of us do. We pray to our God (depending on religion), supposedly ask for forgiveness, then try to bargain our way for our own personal gains. Whatever happens to sincerity?

It doesn’t matter what religion you have. The act of forgiveness is always taught in all of the religions. Reflection and repentance need not be listed just under Things-to-Do-During-Lent. These must be observed in your everyday life, not scheduled annually. To be able to forgive especially those who have wronged you the most is a mark of a strong person. But that is just the first of a two-part healing process. The second part is to forget. Years ago, I posted this in my old blog and I  think it unfortunately still holds true:

Why is it so much easier to be angry than to say sorry? So much easier to lose your head and shout instead of holding back? No weapon hurts more than bladed words that cut deepest in a fit of anger, yet not meant to wound. But wound hearts, they do. These wounds, they do not completely heal long after the battle has ended, wounds that shall once again open in the course of another battle. In the end, no one wins the battle, and no one will ever win the war. And we glance at each other in quiet desperation.

Forgiveness cleanses the spirit. Learn how to sincerely ask for forgiveness and grant forgiveness in return. Asking and giving may not be an easy thing to do, especially the latter, yet it is the RIGHT thing to do. For sure, you will fail a lot of times, but the most important things in life are the hardest to acquire. What you need is the sincere heart to keep coming back from failure time and again until you are finally able to, well, to quote another currently popular song, “Let It Go.”

 

 

 

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Thanks for dropping by and I hope I did not say anything that might offend anyone. I am trying to keep up with a daily challenge. It would be easy just to think of a word and write something brief, but then I wouldn’t want to write about something in a “half-hearted” manner. The purpose of the challenge is not only to practice writing but to learn to enjoy it. It should not be a burden. So I write about what matters to me. I do look forward to writing the next posts. I’m writing the next draft already! I hope to get to read your posts as well 🙂

As said, this is a part of the…