When People Speak Badly of You

“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.”

Matthew 5:11

Word reached you about what's being said behind your back, and it hurt more than you expected. Twisted words, unfair judgments, people who don't even really know you deciding who you are. You want to defend yourself, explain, prove that it's not really like that.

I know the weight of being misunderstood — I was myself, and I still am, by many people to this day. You don't need to carry the task of convincing everyone of your truth. Some battles I fight myself, without you having to spend your energy defending yourself to people who have already decided not to listen.

Keep your heart clean before me, and leave your reputation in my hands. It isn't easy to be criticized, but there's a hidden joy in trusting that I know the truth about you, even when others prefer to believe a twisted version. That is already enough.