Years ago, my website’s tag line was “Say only what helps, each word a gift” (Ephesians 4:29 MSG). If I could choose a single life verse, this might be it. My parents quarreled, and, without even ever discussing our convictions, my sister and I both grew up determined not to use words as weapons. We all know words can wound, and words can heal. I pray that the words I offer here heal, encourage, and inspire you to begin the journey of discovering who you were meant to be.
If you’re reading this blog, you have wounds—some buried so deep in your heart that you may not understand them or even recognize them.
Maybe, you were bullied, and you learned quickly that if you revealed your feelings, the bully triumphed, and you became an easy target. Maybe, the people you loved and trusted—the ones who were supposed to provide for you and keep you safe—rejected, abused, or abandoned you. Even if they threatened to leave you but chose to stay instead, their words left deep scars.
Of course, not all wounds are inflicted by others. You and I have wounds we’ve brought upon ourselves by our choices. No matter the source, wounds leave scars and barriers that can keep us from being the people we want to be and from living the life we long to live.
If any of this describes you, you probably have major trust issues. I know I certainly did. For decades.
But you don’t have to wait as long as I did to embrace the truth. God loves you no matter what you’ve done, and He has good plans for your life. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (TLB). You can trust Him.
You may be thinking, I can’t trust people. Sometimes, I don’t even trust myself. How can I trust God? Start by believing that God wants you to hope that things can change, that today can be better than yesterday.
Choosing to hope will require dropping your defense mechanisms. Whether you fight, run, or hide, your objective may be not to let anyone get close enough to hurt you. And that may include even God, or especially God, if you’ve bought the lie that He doesn’t love you or care about you.
For most of my life, I’ve been a hider, but because I’m an extrovert, I often gave people the impression that they knew me well. I’m ashamed to admit that they knew only what I wanted to reveal about myself. With most people, I shared only what I didn’t mind becoming public knowledge. I’m certainly not suggesting that we have no boundaries or that we share everything with everyone. We all step into roles as daughters, sisters, wives, mothers, grandmothers, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and employees.
But if you want your life to change for the better, the answer is always the same. Let God love you. Be honest with Him … about everything. “When you draw close to God, God will draw close to you” (James 4:8 TLB). Stop hiding. God is waiting for you to come to Him. Whatever shame and guilt you may feel, God already knows what you’ve done and what’s been done against you. He sent His Son Jesus to die for you. Jesus took the punishment for your sins and mine to restore our relationship with our heavenly Father, so we could walk in all of the blessings belonging to sons and daughters.
Father God, touch each person reading this. You know us better than we know ourselves. You know what we need today, in this moment. Meet the needs of our hearts as only You can. Provide for our physical needs as well. And show us how great Your love for us truly is. For we are your children. Amen.
