The fear of being wronged …

Not everything that happens to you deserves a place inside you.

People may judge you.
Misunderstand you.
Reject you.
Speak against you.
Treat you unfairly.

But their actions do not have to become your thoughts. Their bitterness does not have to become your bitterness. Their darkness does not have to become your darkness.

Most people suffer twice.

First from what happened.
Then from carrying it everywhere they go.

St. Francis learned to keep watch over his heart. He understood that another person’s actions belong to them. What belongs to us is our response. A person can throw mud at a clear spring, but the spring remains pure if it keeps flowing. St Francis refused to let the sins of others dictate the state of his soul. His peace did not depend on the behaviour of others. It rested in God.

The mature soul eventually realises:
Not every insult deserves attention.
Not every injustice deserves residence in the heart.
Not every wound deserves to become an identity.

The more deeply rooted you are in God, the less power other people’s actions have over your interior life. You become like a mountain. The storms still come. But they no longer move you.

A Franciscan challenge:
The next time someone wounds you, ask yourself:
“Do I want to carry their actions inside me, or do I want to remain free?”

Protect your heart.
By becoming deeply rooted in Christ.

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, hear me. From the fear of being wronged, deliver me, O Jesus. + Litany of Humility