You've Got Mail...
03 June, 2015
Don't you worry your pretty little eyes, people throw rocks at things that shine.
How could he say that about me? Am I really that delusional? What's wrong with me? Am I really that bad? Singing the above Taylor Swift lyrics to myself this afternoon, I was doing my very best not to take the message personally. Let me explain...
I receive messages on occasion through my Contact button. If you click the button, it says Future BFF's? on the top of the page, because that's what I love - meeting new friends, sharing experiences, and growing bonds. This life is too short not to encourage and laugh with as many people as we can, right?
I get a little giddy when I receive a new message. It forwards straight to my e-mail and I'll hear a "ding!" on my phone. The emails always have the subject new contact request recieved! It's exciting to open the emails, because I never really know what to expect. Will it be someone I know well? Someone from my past? Someone I have mutual friends with? Someone I don't know at all?
Well, today was one of those lucky days (or so I thought). I heard the high-pitched ding, picked up my phone and read the email subject: new contact request received.
Trying not to smile too big, I asked one of my co-workers (of whom was walking through my office) if he wanted to hear the message. Working 40 hours a week in an office of 10 people really brings you close, to the point where you can say just about anything. He shrugged, "sure, why not," and stood next to me to read the email. I used my fingerprint scanner to unlock my iPhone (literally, the coolest feature ever) and clicked to open the email. The request was from a name and email I didn't recognize, and I noticed it was an extremely long paragraph.
"Jeez, they wrote you a novel," my co-worker said. Laughing, I started to read aloud. It started out okay; the writer explained how he was a 20+ year resident of Malibu with a good friend base and a happy life. Then, things took a turn for the worse: criticizing my last blog, he went off the handle, explaining how I had no right to make vast generalizations about this, that, and the other. He said I was on a high moral horse, serving as a blind sheep leading people to contaminated water. It went on (and on and on) about my writing mistakes and false ideologies. Needless to say, it hurt my feelings, a lot.
My co-worker told me to brush it off, that having a blog will lead to the occasional backlash. I shrugged as he continued toward the copy machine and made his way out of my office.
I'm pretty sensitive, and I tend to take things personally when I shouldn't. I should have brushed it off like my co-worker suggested. I should have deleted the email and never looked back. But, being the imperfect person I am, I responded: "LOL, dude you need a hobby." He responded with something equally as snarky, and we went back and forth a few times.
Having sat on it the last few hours, I'm realizing I shouldn't have responded. I should have calmly deleted the email, shrugged my shoulders, and continued with my day. Why? Well, Taylor Swift wasn't far off: people throw rocks at things that shine. Now, I'm not saying I shine brighter than others, but I am saying I am a daughter of Jesus Christ and I have worth (as all His children do). I have a reason to hold my head high because I am precious, loved, and adored in the eyes of God. Sure, I make mistakes, and maybe I am a little delusional sometimes (aren't we all?), but I am also not a doormat. I am a strong woman of Christ with a backbone.
Therefore, being the woman of God I am, I need to distinguish when it's time to fight and when it's time to retreat. Is the person I'm angry with actually worth it? Will fighting do any good?
Jesus told His disciples to "leave the land and dust off their feet" when a town didn't accept their message. I'm not a disciple or anything, but God does give wisdom to those who ask for a spirit of discernment. "Is this person worth getting into a fight with? Or will it leave us both more wounded than before?"
Responding to his message, as short as it was, did not help the situation. The man made it clear he wasn't a Christian, and fighting with him didn't resolve anything, unsurprisingly.
What should I have done instead? Pray. Pray for the man, pray for myself, and pray that God would heal both his and my heart for bitterness. Pray God would give me a clear focus on furthering His name with every essence of truth. Pray that man would learn the truth of the Good News.
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Matthew 5:44
I encourage you, friends, to forgive those who hurt you, to choose your battles wisely, and to take crude remarks with a grain of salt. Someone who picks on you is more than likely picking on themselves internally, too. You are a gem, no matter what anyone says, beloved. A bright, shining gem.
