Proverbs 29:25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts the Lord will be kept safe.

I was caught off guard last night by a personal criticism that cut me to the core.

“Self righteous” and “judgmental”…

Wow.

That is humbling to write.

It is painful to hear from the heart of someone you thought you knew.

Talk about stirring up my “people pleasing” nature but quickly recognizing the defeat as I cannot possibly counter such an attack without confirming both those attributes in the eyes of the accuser.

People will see what they want to see, I cannot control that.

People will perceive what they want to perceive….I cannot control that either.

Thank you Sarah Young, for your Jesus Always today..

You must not let circumstances define your sense of security

Preach it!

Though it is natural for you to want to be in control of your life

Yup.

I (God) can empower you to live supernaturally, resting in my sovereign control

Did you say REST??

I (Christ) help you face unwelcome changes…

Don’t even get me started…

and even catastrophic events, without fear.

Here comes the word picture–

Instead of letting anxious thoughts roam freely in your mind, LASSO them by voicing your hope in Me.

For the 1000th time, God keeps revealing Himself to me to say “quit trying to figure this out”, “trust in Me”, “don’t try to please everyone in this because you can’t….please Me instead“.

Take captive my thoughts.

Believe what I know to be true.

Let my faith be my eyes.

Trust the God of the impossible.

I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Clinging to the criticism caused a war in my mind leaving me with a headache and heartache…anxiety waged as I could not make it “right” nor did I feel justification of my personality or choices would be an act of love.

Silence and forgiveness…letting go and moving forward…confidence and strength found in the quietness….acceptance that this is what is… but that I am still who I am…

an imperfect, growing, child of the Living God.

Whoever trusts in Me is kept safe

Words still hurt, relationships still struggle and stumble…but safety and security can be found in the arms of my Savior….all because I choose to trust in Him and not me or my circumstance.

PS It is hard to be honest…even here where I should feel safe. But if I cannot find the words here to express then they hold power over me. Thank you for accepting my transparency.