This post was inspired by Chris Brown’s Michael Jackson Tribute from the BET Awards last night.

I am not going to lie, I was in tears during this performance. First of all, the dancing was ON POINT! There is no one (not Usher, Omarion, or Justin Timberlake) who could have paid homage to Michael Jackson like Chris Brown. He was not given the opportunity to pay respects to Michael Jackson because of the incident with Rihanna last year and for him to pour his heart out on stage was extremely emotional.

Twitter was going crazy last night and I must say I only saw a few ignorant tweets, but if you did not think that performance was heart felt and genuine, I am not sure if you are human. Some people feel his cry was staged, but Chris Brown is not that great of an actor to pull that off. He finally had an opportunity to pay tribute to his idol the right way and he was able to show the world that he truly is sorry for his actions. He made himself vulnerable to the point where he could not sing.

WE ALL make mistakes and bad decisions in our lives, so who are we to judge this young man and incredible entertainer? Sure his earlier efforts may not have seemed “genuine” to some, but he deserves a second chance. If a person is trying to show you that they want to make their lives better and is just asking for forgiveness, why not forgive them? It takes more energy and effort to hold on to grudges and past hurts, than it does to forgive and be set free from emotional and mental bondage. You have to constantly remind yourself of why you hate or despise that person so much that you miss out on the joys of life, and clearly seeing Chris Brown perform is definitely a joy with the lack of talent that we have in the music industry today.

Pastor Bernard has taught me that in order for a person to change in the mind, they must first have a change of heart. So Chris Brown has done all he can do, he has done his community service, he has apologized, and he has been suffering in isolation since but read the words of “Man In the Mirror”

 I’m Gonna Make A Change,
For Once In My Life
It’s Gonna Feel Real Good,
Gonna Make A Difference
Gonna Make It Right . . .

If someone is trying to make it right, don’t deny them the opportunity. Look into your life and ask yourself, have I forgiven the person or people who have caused me hurt, pain, or suffering? The first step to healing starts with you. This is not going to happened in one day. I am still struggling with totally forgiving people who have hurt me, but that performance and listening to the words of the song made me reevaluate myself. So

I’m Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
I’m Asking Him To Change
His Ways
And No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself, And
Then Make A Change