My Feelings Got Hurt

My feelings got hurt today. Well, not TODAY, but the day I wrote this article.  Someone said something that stung my heart.  And it wasn’t the first time it had happened.

I went through my morning feeling sad. Blue. Feeling like I wasn’t understood and that I wasn’t valued. It stunk. For this person mattered a lot to me. I felt like I gave them the world. I loved them with abandon. And yet, it wasn’t always returned.

As I started slipping into the, “I’m feeling sorry for myself” mode, God gently touched my heart. Tears came to my eyes as I continued to feel the sting of another’s harsh words aimed my way, and He reminded me of what He wanted me to do and why.

He wanted me to stand strong. Continue to be me. And remind myself of who HE thinks and knows me to be. He wanted me to remember how many times He was misunderstood. How many times someone tried to hurt Him (and continues to hurt Him today.) My God takes it all. He takes it when we say His name in vain. He takes it when we turn our backs on Him and take HIS glory for ourselves. He takes it when someone is angry and blames Him for their own choices and errors. He takes it all. And He still loves.

That’s what He wants for me. To take it. And to still love. It may sting. It may hurt. And it may need to gently be addressed. But I can’t let someone else’s words define who I am. I can’t let those penetrate my heart and impact me in a negative way. Especially when I know the things said are untrue.

We all get our feelings hurt from time to time. We all say something to hurt someone else from time to time. Our words go a long way. They stand the test of time and they go the distance – farther than we realize.  But when we’re tempted to feel sorry for ourselves, it’s good to be reminded that someone walked before us who was unfairly talked about. Someone who was unfairly treated. Someone who didn’t deserve what was said and done to Him. And He still loved.

It’s who He was. And it’s who He wants us to be.

Let God deal with the giver of unkind words. And let us deal with our response.