Long before you were conceived you were conceived in the mind of God. – Rick Warren
There’s beauty in being misunderstood, rejected, unseen and unsupported by people. It teaches you to rely on God for everything. This is where I find contentment whether in plenty or to be abased. Abase is an interesting word. It means no rank or any special place in their world for you or pushed out of sight or lacking. And I am glad. I have come to embrace being misunderstood. Years ago, being misunderstood was painful at best, not to mention how weird I felt. Trying to avoid being misunderstood took me away from being real. My need to be accepted and be admired by others kept me a prisoner of my own making. It doesn’t mean I will revolt or rebel. I simply accept myself as incredibly flawed human being. I don’t need to fight or swim against the current. I don’t even get into the water. Ironically it’s going against the grain that I find freedom. I know who I am in Christ not for what I do but for what He did. I am loved. And my worth is found in my Creator (No! my ancestors are NOT monkeys or some slimy substance in a swamp).
Becoming your true self is a hard work. Some of your enemies are in your brain. It can be emotionally draining and quite a difficult task to take on. Particularly in real life, the bad guys, the toxic, and unsafe people are not easy to spot. They appear winsome and promising and their character problems are always subtle. It would do you good to train yourself to spot toxic, harmful people in the process. Renewing your mind to the truth… the good will make you spot the true character in others. Remember it is a journey, not an event. I found that toxic people always bring up your past and judge you with it. They are selfish, controlling and they don’t care about your feelings. They never apologize but they make you feel guilty when they are wrong. This last one is so confusing because you end up apologizing to them for their wrongs – that it was your fault. They know how to manipulate you to do their will. Time to run! And run fast. You don’t need to prove that you are strong and good. I forgive them and leave to maintain sanity. Yes you will be misunderstood and may be labeled, -too sensitive- but it’s okay. Your well being is more important than what they think. Who is THEY? It’s an important question. Once you figure out who THEY is you’re on the right track becoming you.
Someone said that we all get our hearts broken once or twice in a lifetime and then we die. I agree. Life is difficult. And short. Even in embracing being misunderstood, abandoned, vilified or rejected doesn’t take the pain away. I noticed that GOD doesn’t take the pain away. He goes with you through the pain. So don’t waste your pain. It still hurt but you will understand that it’s not about you. And remind yourself that nothing in life is arbitrary. It’s all for a purpose.
Our number one purpose in life is to love God and love others as we love ourselves.
How do you love yourself unselfishly?