FRIDAY THOUGHTS: SEE THE LIGHT

Your best is quite good enough for someone else. 

Oh, yes it is. 

Perhaps the notion has been obscured by one too many encounters with the impossible. 

Maybe your best has been lost in a toxic environment where help is greatly needed, but fiercely resented, or unappreciated. 

Someone else would greatly welcome your presence, efforts, time, insight, patience, expertise, love, care, resources, and help. It's not a threat, nor a puffed up declaration. It's just the truth--a truth that self-centered, ungrateful individuals hope you never learn. 
Sometimes you have to shift into "heartily as unto the Lord" mode, and stay there. 

Some people will never be pleased; 

will never be satisfied; 

will never be thankful; 

will never change their ways; 

will never say, "I'm sorry"; 

will never tell the truth; 

will never say, "I was wrong"; 

will never seek peace; 

will always cast their negativity onto others; 

will always play the victim; 

will always try to take others down with them; 

will always find something to criticize and pick apart, because they delight in making others feel small, incompetent, and inadequate. 

It's the only way they can feel good about themselves. 

When you finally realize that the giant/bully in your life is operating out of a place of utter weakness, uncertainty, insecurity, ignorance, hurt, and fear, your responses to them, their words, and actions will drastically change. 

You used to become perplexed and cry. You used to run away or quit.

Not any more. 

It's not that you've become cold or mean, or don't have any more tears, it's just that you can find much better use for them.

People may seem to attack, but when you stop cowering long enough, you can see what they're really throwing at you, and how wild and poor their aim actually is. 

If you look closely, even their weapons are weak--they just appear to be big and loud. 

You haven't lost any blood at all. 

You don't have any broken bones. 

You've been listening to, and looking at their report. Now, you see the truth. 

When you don't respond like you used to, it confuses toxic people; makes them angrier, and forces them to look at themselves and their deplorable behavior toward those who have shown them nothing but kindness. 

The truth IS the light. 

They can push all of the buttons they want, and you won't budge. 

You won't feel wounded or frustrated any more. You'll recognize and enjoy the support, love and encouragement of those who are secure enough to have your back; who DO see, and know your worth, and wouldn't dare tear you down, use, or harm you. 
And to think--you've been breaking your neck trying to figure out what you've done wrong, running for cover, defending, and beating up on yourself! 

Stop it! 

The cantankerous, mean-spirited, manipulative, oppressive, arrogant, angry spirits among us will never be happy--especially not with your light (that they can't control) messing up their carefully crafted darkness. 
Don't let the toxicity in someone else change who you are. 

Soar above it, and keep shining.