Rick Brinkley Teaches Self-worth & Forgiveness On Social Media

  Today, Rick began talking about forgiveness and restoration. He particularly focused on self-worth & analyzing the attitudes of others; scrutinizing whether they are honoring God in their attitudes..

On Tuesday, Rick Brinkley broke his silence on his social media account and talked about gambling addictions and how to get free. Brinkley was recently sentenced to about 3 years of prison for his confessed embezzling of well over a million dollars, ironically from the consumer foundation, "The Better Business Bureau of tulsa". The allegation is that while serving as the leader of a business watchdog group, judging the ethics of local businesses, Brinkley was systematically stealing massive funds from the group, to fund his secret gambling addiction.

Q: "Did you lose any friends after going through all of this?"

 A: "No, I really did not lose a single friend. However, I did lose people I thought were my friends, but really didn't lose a single friend."

Q: "How do you respond to people who don't like you now?"

A: "I don't. They have a right to dislike me based upon what they know of me and what I did. And, I respect their right to feel that way."

Be relieved when people reveal to you who they are. It frees you to put your efforts and love into people who stand beside you through good and bad. Sometimes you find those who needed you through their struggles lack the capability to have compassion for others. That's okay. That's who they are. It doesn't make them bad people. It's that you now have seen that part of them. They aren't evil or hateful. They are just either filled with judgement or simply lack the skills to help others.

But, also realize when people discover your weaknesses, your dark side, your fallibilities, they have a right to change their opinion of you because for the first time they saw a part of you they didn't like and never knew existed. And, guess what? That's okay. If someone no longer likes you, respect their right to do so and make the decision to move on. Don't fight to convince them to like you. They don't. They may regain respect for you in the future and come back. But, right now for your own sanity respect their choice to dislike you.

"Be relieved when people reveal to you who they are. It frees you to put your efforts and love into people who stand beside you through good and bad."  - Rick Brinkley

I've seen too many people revert back to bad behavior because of the stress of trying to make people like them.

Both sides of this equation meet at one very important intersection. The crossroads of recovery and self-worth.

Live Better. Recover from your addictions, your weaknesses, your anger, your hurt, that part of you that you don't even like. Turn away from your dark side and walk toward the light of Grace & Mercy. In the process learn that you are of value based upon the fact God created you for a purpose. Determining your value based upon the opinions of others will never help you to discover the reason God needed you to exist. That reason will only be discovered when you ask your creator to reveal it to you. It will never be determined by the opinion of another, especially of another who doesn't even like you.

Those who have been forgiven of much, love and forgive others much. Those who have been forgiven of little, love and forgive others little - Luke 7:47.