Throughout life offenses abound. And our natural tendency is to become defensive – not tolerating any disrespect. But as we grow in the truth of who we are, there’s little need to defend, though we remain capable.
Naturally we want to set the record straight anytime someone says something offensive and untrue about us. It’s hard for our egos to tolerate such an insult to our personhood.
And feeling attacked, we tend to go in attack mode ourselves – either putting the other down or comparing ourselves to someone else we think we’re better than.
Yes, but remember when you….
Well, at least I’m not like…
All this makes sense. We are trying to protect ourselves from harm and from having others to think poorly about us.
But growing in inner strength minimizes our need to be defensive.
When we know who we are, this truth remains regardless if the other person believes it or not. For instance, you may believe a lion is a housecat, but this doesn’t change the fact that it’s still a lion.
Truth is not dependent on our ability to convince someone of it. If something is true it remains true still, regardless of our opinions of it. In this sense, truth needs no defense.
If someone fails to see the truth of who we are, we’re welcome to educate them and attempt to correct their perceptions, if they are willing.
But, if they are unwilling to change their minds about us, we can shake the dust off our feet. We don’t have to waste our energy trying to convince them otherwise.
In this situation, choosing not to defend ourselves is a mark of wisdom and harnessed strength.
When we know who we are and what we’re capable of – the strength of our character speaks for us, and our words only when necessary.
Don’t let your fragile ego cause you to be overly defensive. Let the truth of who you are be its own defense.
