No Victims Here

I am taking a break from the posts about the Lord’s Prayer because of a social media post I read this week that I cannot get out of my head. It was a post about a certain movement in the church. The person was adamantly against it. 

In the post, the person stated that the movement within the church had caused them harm. I believe the emotional pain and hurt was real for the person. However it is the language that was used that has stuck with me.  The consistent use of “made me” is what I can’t get out of my head.

Saying that one person or another, one church or another, one church movement or another made me feel a certain way shows a willingness to allow another person, a church, or a movement’s to have control over you. It shows a victim mentality that does not take responsibility for your own thoughts, beliefs, or actions.

Consider the statement, “You make me so angry.” That is an accusation that does not take responsibility for being in control of anger.  Anger is a choice. 

Statements like, “You make me feel inadequate, unworthy, less than” may be telling in terms of relationship. But let’s be clear, it is the enemy of your soul that accuses God’s children of shame, unworthiness, inadequacy, etc. When you accept the accusation, you make a choice to agree with it.

I understand there is no hurt like pain that comes from Christian brothers and sisters. Ultimately, though, we are responsible for our choices, our own emotions, and fending off the attacks of the enemy. 

Jesus told us that we would face trials and tribulations,. 

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

We all face accusations, trials and tribulation, but through Jesus we can have peace and overcome whatever the enemy throws at us. How you respond to those challenges is up to you. You can choose to be a victim or you can choose to be an overcomer. 

You, and only you, are responsible for your thoughts and the boundaries you put into place in order for other’s opinion of you to not become toxic self-limiting beliefs. 

When you want to say, “he/she/they/it made me…” pause and ask yourself if that is true. Take responsibility for your response whether it a choice of words or actions. 

I believe one of the most important strategies to unlock your amazing future is to take responsibility. You alone choose to live a  life of life, light, and blessing or death, darkness, and destruction. The word death here and in the verse below is connected to adversity, not a physical death. 

Even after our decision to choose Jesus, we have a choice to work out our salvation daily and to live transformed by the power of the cross—or, we have a choice not to do that. As Moses told the Children of Israel, choose life. 

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants.” Deuteronomy 30:19

Soar with God, Dear One. Take responsibility be an overcomer and choose life.