I was in a counseling appointment yesterday and my counselor was talking about the concept of authenticity and how it is so crucial to healing and growth. I recommended your blog to her – authenticity is the perfect word to describe this blog and it is exactly what the Christian community needs! You have taught me and blessed me so much by your example.

This is one reason I am timid about blogging much.

I’m sorry you cried, but thankful God gave us tears to wash away the bad.

and when i struggled through writing this post on monday night, i had no idea it would resonate with so many people.

outside of my “story” posts, a few giveaway posts and 2 “can I pray for you posts” this has been the most commented-on post of mine.

I can only assume that it means that this either outrages you or you’ve been here yourself. so thank you, all of you who commented, for being a bold and outspoken part of this community.

A couple of years ago, I realized one of the scariest things for me was when my friends, family, and acquaintances expected “perfection” from me. So I decided I would stop expecting “perfection” from others. It has been so freeing, and allowed me to be closer to others, ’cause they let down their guard more! Imagine!

Your openness and honesty has left me breathless, and I know God led me to your site at a crucial crossroads for me. You have been a blessing to me MANY times these past months so…. Don’t sweat it!

I know how you must feel. My husband recently hired on a man who just started attending our church to work for him, and within a week the man had extensively critisized the music that was played on the jobsite (and my hubby gets teased for having the ‘lightest’ music on his site), my husband for saying a buddy’s new girlfriend was “pretty good looking”, and then this past weekend when he found out my husband’s brother, another coworker, was going out for his bachelor party, he called thier dad and said that if my brother in law got drunk at the party he would have to step up at the wedding and raise objection! This man is a stranger! And that’s just a few things. Christian or non-Christian, sometimes you hit a point where it’s just harassment! (plus this ‘christian’ man was fired from a few previous jobs in his actual trained field actually for harassment.)

Wolves in sheeps clothing will always be there to tear you down! Just recognize that some people will never be happy unless they’re unhappy, and shut them down. Delete it without reading the whole thing (or don’t answer the phone, in my hubby’s case)

And of course, critique is often one of God’s special gifts—possibly one of the only ways we would be able to see faults that need changing.

Third, everyone is criticized and so many of your readers can relate, right?

But…

…there is something insidious that happens when we go public, when we enter the realm of ministry. It’s like a target gets painted on our backs and hurtful people come out of the woodwork to snipe us. Folks who don’t have this kind of public exposure cannot possibly understand what this is like, and often wonder why we can’t just shrug it off like they can their own critics.

I know how hard it is, sister, and I’m proud of the way you’re handling it.