I love cherry tomatos.  When I select a basket from the produce aisle, I try to jiggle them around to see if all of them look healthy…without any yucky, moldy ones hiding in the middle.  I never know if the entire package is good until I get home and pour them out into the colander to wash them.

And there it is.  The one, yucky, moldy, shriveled up tomato that threatens the others it touches!  I immediately toss it out and clean the rest, looking forward to the next meal where I will eat those sweet beauties.  Throwing out the moldy tomato takes no thought.

So why is it different when we have yucky, toxic people in our lives?  I’m not saying that we should physically throw them away, but what do we do when we have those people who speak untruths about us and discredit our reputations?

I immediately want to stand up to the toxic person and defend myself!  “How am I supposed to read your mind?  Why didn’t you talk to me?”  The truth is, my words would fall on deaf ears.  That toxic person has already made up their mind and they are filled with anger and hate.  The fight would be a losing battle.

Does it hurt my feelings when someone says hurtful things about me?  Absolutely.

Is it frustrating to not be able to defend myself?  Absolutely.

Would I like it if everyone liked each other and there was no conflict?  Most definitely.

What I have learned is that when I let go of those toxic relationships in my life, when I curt them out and quit listening to their hate and convoluted thinking, I become a woman who will let nothing get in her way, doing the things that Christ has called me to do.

Letting toxic people stay in your life can destroy you.  I am worth so much more than that…and so are you.

Beloved, you are amazing, so why have someone come into your heart and destroy what God has created?

You are enough and worthy of all the good God has to offer.

Today I Am Thankful For:

1. a cold pork chop
2. great sermons
3. the colors in a New Mexico sunset
4. a clean house
5. the trust my 20 year old has in me