I Am Who You Say I Am!

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of things of evil against you because of me.” (Matthew 5:11 NLT)
 
I sat across from my client as she fiddled around in her chair. Her cell phone grasped tightly between two restless hands, as she eagerly anticipated each alert. The day’s events were replaying like a broken record in her mind, so again I asked her, “Does it really matter what those girls think or say about you?” She gazed up to me with her eyebrows scrunched together looking rather perplexed.

“Of course it matters! I don’t want people to think those things are true!"

Her plea echoed inside my head as I thought of the best words to comfort her teenage strife. How would I get her to understand that the awful things those girls said about her didn’t matter?
 
Fortunately, high school drama has a less than 24 hour life-span, but what about the things that cut us a bit more deeply? What happens when those people aren’t high schoolers you get to leave at the end of the day, but the familiar voices of friends, family or co-workers? The sting that grows within us with each lie told behind our backs, each offense taken to heart and each injustice done to us. I’m no stranger to the sting of betrayal. The pain of that hurt runs deep, and if we aren’t careful, over time, it will form a film over the lens in which we see ourselves and the world.
 
Only recently have I begun to shed the layers of shame that I’ve held on to for so long. The insults, persecutions and false accusations towards me have haunted me for a great deal of my life. I’d let the words of others torment me, instead of letting the truths of Jesus elevate me. I often remind myself of the hardships Jesus endured here as He walked the Earth. People hated Him, and He was blameless and faultless. If they could hate Him, what would I expect for me?
 
Jesus’s love is enough. I no longer seek validation from people for an assurance I can only receive from God. I don’t have to fight for me, because with Jesus, the victory is already won! I don’t have to make sure my enemies know my truth, because Jesus is the only truth! Why be upset when I am loved so deeply by Jesus? He loves me, He forgives me, and He only wants what is best for me. With a Father like that, I don’t have time to worry about the things said about me. His purpose for us supersedes any block the enemy puts on our path. How can I fulfill God’s will if I’m laser focused on the enemies' slanderous schemes? How can I fully trust God if I’m choosing to engage with lies? The short answer: I can’t. I can, however, celebrate the victory of Jesus in the midst of hardships. I can choose joy, when the world says choose anger. I can choose forgiveness when the world says choose revenge. I can choose praise and celebration when the world says choose defeat. I am who Jesus says I am!