Naysayers

I bet there has been a time or two in your life when you’ve come under the shadow of a naysayer. One of those people who isn’t rowing the boat, therefore they have plenty of time to rock it. They offer criticisms without offering help. They focus on something they don’t like rather than seeing the vast amount of goodness they could like.

Yup, I suspect a naysayer has tried to pooh-pooh on you too. Especially during your healthy eating journey. But take heart, sweet sister, they are actually doing you a favor, if you’ll let them. And I learned this in the strangest of ways.

I was recently in Virginia to appear on the 700 Club when I got a frantic call from home. Apparently someone flushed too much toilet paper and caused a situation. An overflowage situation. You know it’s not going to be a good call when you pick up the phone and hear your husband declare, “We are now a two-square family. No one in this house is allowed to use more than two squares of toilet paper at a time.”

Oh my. That’s hard for a girl, y’all. But it certainly was no time to argue with a man who was ankle deep in toilet water.

I love my man. Seriously, I do.

Apparently the water seeped down and around the caulking, into the walls, and onto the kitchen ceiling. Bummer.

The ceiling is now bulging and will most likely fall in. Lovely.

But we know some experts who can come in, cut out the sagging parts of the ceiling, patch it up, and put it all behind us.

And what, might you wonder, does this have to do with naysayers?

Here’s the thing … had my husband known about the water coming out of the toilet early enough, he would have shut off the source to stop the unsightly flow.

As Jesus girls, we can’t let the naysayers in life drown out our excitement, our commitment to healthy eating, and our assignments from Jesus. We have to shut off the source and stop the flow of negativity in our life.

We have to caulk up our cracks of insecurity with the putty of God’s truth and assurance.

And we have an Expert who can cut out the sag in our hearts, patch it up with His sweet mercy, and put the whole thing behind us.

The naysayers want to distract us and knock us off course. But God says, “Stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

So, what favor do the naysayers do for us? They remind us we’re doing something right for Jesus. I’d rather be criticized than ignored. I think Jesus would rather rein in wild Jesus girls kicking up some dust than kick dead-quiet mules any day of the week.

Whew, I love me some truth! Now, if I can just learn to love using only two squares of TP, all will be right with the world.