One of my dearest nieces made a statement in a past post that boiled down to the fact that we should believe what people show us about themselves. When people show you over and over again who they are, you need to believe them! I ask you rhetorically, why can’t you believe them? If a wolf comes dressed as a sheep, does it make him a sheep? He may try to sound like a sheep (baa -baa); he may walk like a sheep, might be covered in sheepskin, but no matter the presentation, if he is acting like a wolf, believe he is a wolf! Sometimes as women, especially Christian, saved women, we want so much for the person we are interested in to be the “one.” It’s easy to make excuses for someone to justify your own needs, but the final result is pain and heartache in many cases.

For the sake of transparency, I understand. I have made excuses in the past for someone in my life because I wanted to believe something that wasn’t ultimately true. I pushed the “stuff” aside that said run Jackie and don’t look back. I even had the silly belief that things were not going to be so bad, and I could help turn the person into a more suitable mate. Was I crazy or what? The subtle signs said there is no change in the individual. They are the same as they were years ago. Even though they tried to falsely present another image, signs kept popping up in quiet ways. My mind said, “Believe the stuff,” my heart said to give it a chance. Have you ever been there in that spot? I am reasonably sure most people have, but the difference is, for some, they believe the stuff and move on, while some see it and rationalize it to try to make it go away. Believe the stuff!

Relationships are trying enough without adding unnecessary baggage to the mix. The extra baggage is it really worth it in the scheme of things? Where do you draw the line? Someone said to me once that as people, we are never satisfied. The married want to be unmarried, and the single wish to be married. I laughed. Both scenarios have their ups and downs, but even with some of the situations I encountered while married, I still loved being a wife and have not given up on marriage. I know that no matter how much I gave of myself, no one is exempt from some of the ownership of the deterioration of a marriage.

As I end this post, my main pressing thought is to remind each of us, which includes myself, to believe who people present themselves to be. Don’t try to justify ill behavior and think that it won’t repeat itself. Yes, people make mistakes, but I am a true believer that what is within a person will come up to the surface. Goodwill comes forth from a good heart, while evil will surface from a deceitful heart. A person who uses profanity and says that it slipped out is trying to present an image of a mistaken deed. But, cursing doesn’t happen by mistake; it happens because it is present within an individual, and when the right trigger occurs, it will come forth the same as blessings come forth from a loving heart. I implore you; please believe the stuff! Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Matthew 7: 15. I’ll be back next week with a new post, “Old Stuff Day!”

Be encouraged, and God bless!

Sister Jackie