Jeremiah 16:16-18:23 / 1 Thessalonians 4:1-5:3 / Psalm 81 / Proverbs 25:6-8
Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt alone or misunderstood. While I can’t see your hands, I have a feeling that all my readers have their hands up. I know mine is up. I believe we are misunderstood partly because others are focused on their own needs and situations. There is nothing wrong with that!
If we are misunderstood, we must begin with an attempt to communicate our hearts and our needs. Even when we do that, we will not always be received or understood, but at least we will have tried. And, sadly, not everyone will understand us. Not everyone has the time or the capacity to really hear what we are trying to convey, except One who is perfect and knows us well because He made us.
If we’re feeling that no one “gets” us, no one will listen, or our needs are not being met, we must scoot up a chair and share our hearts with God. He always listens and He understands completely. Even those who love us most, our families, do not always understand. When that happens, we have two choices; get upset and shut down or go to God to sort through our feelings.
The following two verses reminded me yet again today that when I’m* feeling misunderstood, not heard, overlooked, or ignored, I have a place I can go for strength and renewal. As I typed that, I had the thought that perhaps we should go to God first, then try to explain our hearts to those we love. It’s probably a good plan to go to the Manufacturer/Creator first, get that understanding and help we need then share with those we love.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.
That word blessed is a rich one, so I want to look at that one further, along with hope and confidence. As for the rest of the verse, consider yourself a tree, or put your name in place where the tree is spoken of. The word “blessed” is the word barak in Hebrew and one of the first meanings is to kneel. When I think of someone kneeling with their head bowed, I think about an honor or blessing being bestowed upon them.
There is also an indication of abundance or greatness with the blessing. How do we get that blessing and abundance? When we trust in the Lord, and when we make Him our hope and confidence. When I trust Him, I am safe and secure, along with confident and bold. If He is my hope, He is my refuge or safe place, and He also makes me confident.
So, even if no one understands me, and even it I’m feeling insecure about what I believe He is saying to me, I must remember that He is the One who identifies me! Others may think they know or understand me. Others may even try to label me according to who they believe I am, but if this labeling doesn’t line up with what God has said about me, I am completely within my rights to reject those labels. And I have done just that; rejected the labels.
What about you? How have others labeled you? Are they correct? If they are, keep those friends nearby because they are a treasure and asset in your life. If you have been spoken of in a way other than God’s design, feel free to toss those words and put a little space between you and the one who does not properly see.
Don’t be rude or throw the friendship away, just be wary of them until you either have time to develop the friendship to a point of understanding or to discover that this person may not need to be in your close friendship circle. We can’t be besties with everyone! That said, let’s DO be besties with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is the One who fills in all the spaces.
