our values and truth

Not everyone has earned the right to speak into our lives.

It doesn’t mean there aren’t nuggets we can receive from them that help us to learn and grow and change.

And, simply, we will always have feedback in our lives that doesn’t deserve to be held close to our hearts.

However, checking this feedback with the people who know us, love us, and hold us to our values and truth will help us in our growth.

Years ago I was asked to speak at a ministry event for teen girls struggling with anxiety. A week after announcing me as part of the lineup, I was told I had to delete my social media past, specifically all the curse words I had ever posted or I could not be part of the event.

It was an organization with much more influence than me and it definitely made me doubt myself (past and present) for a while. Eventually, I let them know I would not be part of their event.

And honestly, I really wanted to give them some choice words… 

It is not lost on me, that today, several years later, I have a devotional for kids dealing with anxiety published by HarperCollins that is doing extremely well.

Of course, I’ve grown a ton in these last few years.
I know the love of God more than ever before.
And yes, I still love a well-placed, deserved, and much-needed curse word.

May we remember:
The minute we try to please everyone is the second we abandon ourselves.
Not everyone has earned the right to speak into our lives.
Not everyone will like us.
And most of all, God loves us