SuperHero or SuperZero

 

It had been a long week and my husband and I were sitting together enjoying the silence.  He was reading a message on his phone from someone when he turns to me and with a tinge of defeat to his voice asks me, "How can you be a SuperHero to one group of people and a SuperZero to another group of people?  You know what I mean?"  I sat in stunned silence for a second as I mulled over what he had just said but I knew exactly what he meant.  How can one group of people love what you stand for, love your ideas, love the things you talk about and the advice you give and think you are the most loving, kind and giving person while another group of people think that everything about you is fake, selfish and arrogant, everything you do is stupid, and you are seriously among the worst people on earth and they really do not like you!

 

I have both those groups of people in my life.  One group is made of friends from around a little bit of everywhere.  We keep in touch, we talk about everything, they ask my opinion or my advice and I ask theirs, we exchange ideas, I encourage them and they encourage me, we can talk for hours and laugh and have a great time together..  They make me feel loved and cherished.  The other group I rarely see, they barely know me but somehow they 'know' me and give me advice, tell me how I should have done things and how I should be doing them now.  I always I feel like I have to defend myself and that is where things break down.  My words come out wrong, I feel stupid and misunderstood and I end up sounding like a blathering idiot as I cry!  I can stand in front of a room full of women and teach about God's truth, mercy and grace, I can counsel and give Biblical advice to those in need but I cannot speak two decent, sensible sentences when I talk to the this group of people who make me feel unlovable, inadequate and well....... like a zero.

 

Is it my ego or my pride, but I really think I am a pretty great person and when someone doesn't like me for a reason that I just don't understand, it hurts my feelings.  I think most of us are like this.  People are saying all the time that they feel so insecure with people because they have a poor self esteem but I don't think that's true.  I think we think too much of ourselves and it makes totally no sense to us when people reject us or don't like us.  I am sure I have given people plenty of reasons to think I am selfish, arrogant and a little stupid, because if I'm truthful with myself, in many ways I am. 

 

The thing is, whose thoughts are we going to let define us?   The group that thinks we are SuperHeroes and love us, uplift us and encourages us even when we do act stupid, arrogant and selfish or the group who thinks we are SuperZeroes and don't really know who we are as a person and no matter what we say or do will always think the worst of you?   If I dwell on those that think I am a SuperHero my pride expands and I become sinful in my thoughts of myself but on the other hand if I dwell on the thoughts of those who think I'm a SuperZero, I get stressed out with a mixture of anxiety and fear.  We need to realize God wants us to define ourselves in Him and not what others think of us.  God wants our thoughts to dwell on Him and His truth.  We need His truth so we can be a vessel he can use to love, encourage and teach others but we also need His truth to see where we need to grow and change as we overcome any sinful behaviors or patterns in our lives. 

 

In the end it does not matter if people think I'm a SuperHero or a SuperZero, I am a child of God, redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, living by His grace and mercy and unconditionally loved by Him.  How great is that!!!

 

 

Leave me a comment and tell me if you feel like a SuperHero or a SuperZero today and why?  Will be praying for you my dear friends!