Have you ever been misunderstood? You\u2019ve said something, put\nsomething out there on the socials, had a go at raising your voice and sharing\nsomething of you but you\u2019ve been misunderstood? A moment when you found the\ncourage to share something, to throw out an idea or a sentiment, or even more\nmaybe to share an idea original to you but you ended up being character\nassassinated and taken down. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Have you felt that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maybe you\u2019ve discovered a lie about you that\u2019s gone arounds\nyour mates, family or at work. Social media warriors have latched on to the lie\nand taken it out into the cloud and back again, but it was a lie, not even a\nshred of truth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Have you felt that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How about a great mate who you\u2019ve trusted with something you\nlove, a precious secret or item that means so much to you. Then you discover\nthe depth of their betrayal, the thing you loved so much just thrown away,\ndiscarded or mistreated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Have you felt that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Have you been in town or on the bus and without warning,\nwithout reason or logic you get a slap or a kick from someone focused on doing\nyou some physical harm? It stings your logic processors as you try and quickly\nwork out what is going, how should I react and who even is this? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Have you felt that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Perhaps now with the rise of social media and our inability\nat times to unplug from its tentacles, you\u2019ve known the mocking voice of\ngossip. You know people are talking about you and sharing their disappointment,\nor just plain maliciousness vented at you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Have you felt that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When experiencing some of these and others, and I heard a\nvoice reply to my inner questioning. That voice was Jesus\u2019 saying this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah. I know <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He knows the crushing weight of being misunderstood and the bitterness\nof lies being told about him. He knows the moments when friends have failed him\nand left him at his most crucial moments in life. He knows physical pain from assault and\nattack, crushing injustice. He knows the hurt from gossiping about him, people\u2019s\nagendas of hate and envy. He knows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus isn\u2019t a statue or lifeless effigy in your nans house.\u00a0 He is alive and lived the same life we are living now. He understands and knows the reality. You can trust him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Image Credit: Joshua Ness<\/p>\n