8 Top Scriptures to Avoid a Pitfall #3 - 1Peter 2:15
What happens when a couple has lived in a small town for nearly 25 years? And because of their involvement in their church and community they know a lot of people? What happens when a very awful, dreaded thing takes place - the couple gets a divorce? This is my story and it has been a difficult one. I knew the reason for our divorce but I did not know what my husband might be telling other people. We had moved away from the town a few years before our breakup. My husband continued to work in the same town, but I rarely saw these people face to face anymore. Many people were shocked. What if those people “who heard” my marriage ended now thought poorly of me? This is a community that is precious to me. What if something said was absolutely not true? What if my reputation was on the line?
One option would be to reach out to everyone I thought may have “heard” something and be sure they “hear” my side of the story. I could have stayed up every night and worried about other people’s opinion of me. I could also have made some noise on Facebook and Instagram to help “educate” anyone who would listen to “my” facts.
How exhausting and futile might that be?
While my story relates to a divorce the verse I want to share with you covers all kinds of relationship problems. Take a look at 1 Peter 2:15. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. This verse to me means we are to keep doing the next good and right thing we know to do and then let God handle everything else. And while we are focusing on “doing what is good” we can also work on holding our tongue (Proverbs 10:19 “But he who holds his tongue is wise.” You may be thinking “there is no way I can do that,” and you are right. We cannot...but God!
Our behavior and the words that come out of our mouth are the only thing we have any control over. What other people say and what they hear (or think they hear) about us is completely out of our control. Completely. We can lose our sanity trying to believe otherwise. Let people watch your own behavior if they want. Live your life in such a way that others will be utterly disappointed when trying to dig up any “dirt” about you. Then let God do the rest.
It’s not my place, nor yours, to prove our reputation by our words. By choosing to keep our eyes locked on Jesus and doing the best “good” we know to do, our true reputation will be seen by others. I hope and I pray that I did this when my own divorce was happening. I know that the enemy could have had a heyday (and there were many days when he tried) with my mind a few years back if I hadn’t been able to apply the words in 1 Peter.
At first glance 1 Peter 2:15 may feel like we’re handling our offense without a fight. It’s our nature to want to fight back and protect ourselves. Part of me wanted to lash out and set the record straight. I am able to fight with the best of them. On the contrary, putting the Apostle Peter’s words into practice is incredibly freeing. You and I cannot control anything being said about us (good or bad). But we can control (with God’s help) our own behavior and our own words. This verse takes a whole lot of trust in a Sovereign God who is loving and good. It means we trust and obey now and then hopefully see what the Lord is up to later.
When bad things happen to you, people will watch and they will listen (and often fill in the blanks with many words of their own). We cannot live our lives allowing other people’s thoughts or words to dictate our actions. What if, instead, the next time you believe that someone is spreading gossip about you:
Ask God to reveal to you any truth about what’s being spread and if He wants you to work on improving yourself. It was by God’s grace alone that I never felt the need to go to other people and ask them, “what have you heard?”
Get yourself to the point of caring more about what God thinks about you than what others think. By spending time with the Lord each day in prayer and reading his Word you will line your own thoughts up with His.
Ask God for his forgiveness for whatever part you played in what has been said. Know that you are fully forgiven.
Carry on about your own business and focus on doing what you know to be good.
Release the rest to God.
Does it give you hope to know that what God thinks of you is the only opinion that truly matters? Does it encourage you to know that He will help you to do good? Keep your eyes on Him.