The Shield Around My Heart

Walking with… Forgiveness, Hope, and Love! Come Along~ written on April 17, 2017

Some of us spend so much time being disappointed with our lives, with the people we share them with, and, whether we like to admit it or not, with ourselves.

It’s so easy to forget: when we were born, we were perfect. God crafted us special, original, one of a kind. Then life happens, and we spend years trying to conform squeezing ourselves into the world’s puzzle pieces, losing sight of the beauty God put in us from the start.

Why?

For many, the road wasn’t smooth from the beginning. Some entered this world without even their most basic needs met. Others grew up fighting just to feel safe. Some were born to parents who didn’t plan for them, yet here they are living, breathing souls trying to find their way.

Some of us grew up as witnesses to domestic violence, our innocent eyes learning early that love was not supposed to look like this. And still, somehow, we learned to get up from the bottom, to fight for small wins. We’ve had our victories once, twice, maybe more but also countless losses. And each loss can sting so deeply that we forget how far we’ve already come.

There’s something magical about those first days of falling in love. You’d do anything to make them happy. You’d drive around in an old truck for hours, music humming through the speakers, their head resting in your lap while you softly sang their favorite songs. You’d go out of your way to surprise them with silly, cheesy gestures just to see their smile. The rest of the world? Forgotten. All that mattered was them.

They felt safe because they knew you’d never let them fall. And when love was pure and unconditional, it felt like enough.

Loyalty like that is rare. When you find someone loyal to the core, you know. But loyalty doesn’t mean perfection none of us are perfect. I’ve never had patience for the finger-pointers, the ones who act as if they never make mistakes or as if their family’s record is spotless. That’s a lie.

Some people just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and pay the price for something others walk away from. But loyalty stands its ground. When trouble comes, the loyal don’t scatter they stand tall. They fight like wolves protecting their pack. They may not understand the “why,” but they keep their courage, refusing to give despair a foothold.

And here’s the truth: loyal people recognize each other. They’re rare… but they exist.

Don’t forget who you are.

Nobody’s life is a constant uphill climb. And if someone says theirs is, they’re lying. Every one of us hits dead ends. Sometimes, when things seem to be going smoothly, it’s like a vulture swoops in trying to feed off us until we’re empty.

But we cannot let it break us. We have to know that we are already enough. Sure, we can grow, improve, and do more but even as we are, we are enough.

Tonight, my 10-year-old daughter, Miley, taught me a lesson. We were talking about angels, God, and even Satan, and in the middle of the conversation, I realized something: I was giving us both a dual message.

I told her, “It’s so easy to keep score to watch for every wrong thing someone else does. But why focus on their mistakes when we have our own to work on?”

When we get hurt by those we love, sometimes we stop loving them, stop understanding them, and before we know it, we’re no longer connected to them in love at all. I told my Miley: Always choose love. Always.

We must also forgive ourselves for our mistakes. When we try to understand and forgive another person, we’re really helping to heal our own souls.

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” — Ephesians 4:32

If you’ve hurt me, I forgive you 100%. And I pray you can forgive me if I’ve hurt you.

Let go of the negativity. Remember:

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” — Philippians 4:13

God always finishes what He starts. When hope returns, when optimism stirs again in your spirit, you’ll know you’ve been renewed. Love will wrap you like a warm blanket, courage will return, and loyalty will feel like second nature again.

Because just as you put up your shield to protect those you love… God is your shield.