Last week I addressed anger and outrage in our nation—and in ourselves. Today, I’m going deeper: I want to share something deeply personal, a wound I still feel.
There is a cruelty in this world that never ceases to stun me. Not the kind that fills headlines with violence and mayhem, but the hidden harms—the ones that sneak into conversations and lodge in the heart like splinters. Slander. Gossip. Words whispered in private, meant to divide and wound when you’re not there to defend yourself.
I know this pain intimately. Just this month, someone reached out to a dear friend of mine, under the guise of offering a warning about me, not realizing I have nothing to hide. My life, in all its struggles and imperfections, is already laid bare in my book Confessions.
What he unleashed was alarming—half-truths, accusations, and malicious claims with no grounding in reality. Words meant to twist perception, plant fear, and sow doubt. Like most who slander, he never invited me into the conversation. He whispered in secrecy, reopening old hurts that God had long put away.
It's a strange kind of suffering, isn't it? To know you've owned your errors, done your best to repent and make amends, and sought to live with integrity and humility—and still to be dragged into the mud of someone else's narrative. Slander does more than misrepresent; it divides. Scripture says in Proverbs 6:16–19 that it is an abomination to the LORD, "he that soweth discord among brethren." Every whispered suspicion undermines trust, erodes relationships, and leaves wounds that are slow to mend.
So, how do we respond when the cruelty of words pierces us? When someone takes it upon themselves to act as judge, jury, and executioner over our lives?
At first, my heart was heavy with confusion and frustration. Why would someone, years later, choose to hurt rather than build up? That question grieved me, not only for what it stirred in me, but for what it revealed about the condition of his heart.
In the midst of wrestling with these feelings, I was reminded of a profound truth in Psalm 141:5. God’s justice is never delayed or overlooked—He will deal with the injustice of others: "Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities." As the psalm says, our prayers may rest even in the midst of their misdeeds, for God’s timing is perfect and His judgments flawless.
As I prayed through the weeks, Christ met me in the stillness. He came gently to the place where I was hurting and spoke peace to my heart. And He reminded me that He understands. He, too, was betrayed and falsely accused. Christ endured slander and malice throughout His ministry and did so with grace. He bore it all without retaliation, and because of that, He walks with us when we face the same.
In that realization, my prayers began to shift. Instead of asking the Lord to “reward him according to his works" (2 Timothy 4:14), I began to pity him. Anyone who gossips or slanders carries a restless spirit. They are not at peace. Their eyes are distracted on the faults of others, blind to their own bonds. So, my prayers turned toward restoration: that God would open his eyes, replace bitterness and fear with peace, and lead him to discover the freedom he cannot find in gossip.
I have also seen what happens when slander goes unchecked. Over the years, I've watched God's discipline unfold—not as a public spectacle, but with His careful, exacting wisdom. I have seen influence stripped away, health fail, and pride dismantled. I have even seen God call two individuals Home to Heaven. I don't rejoice in these acts; I grieve them. But they remind me that God does not ignore the wounds inflicted by slander, gossip, and discord. He rights what is wrong and humbles the wrongdoer in His way and in His time.
And here is a delicate but essential truth: slander is never the final word. Whispered suspicions do wound, but they cannot define us. Psalm 37:5 anchors us: "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." We are not called to chase rumors or defend ourselves against accusations. We are called to live faithfully, speak honestly, and let God's faithfulness outshine what human words cannot destroy.
If you know the piercing of slander, hear this: you are not alone, and this harm does not define you. Your worth is not measured by whispers behind your back but by the One who knows your heart completely and still loves you endlessly. And if, by God's grace, you can pray for those who despise and wound you, you loosen the chains of bitterness and make space for God to move in ways you cannot yet see.
Here is the hope I want to leave with you—not a shallow hope of quick vindication, but a solid hope. This is the hope that grows when we sit with Jesus in our pain and let His presence and Word soothe our wounds. We can trust Him with the hearts of those who wish us harm. Fabrications cannot withstand the integrity of a life surrendered to Christ. Slander cannot stand against the light of God's truth.
So, take heart, my friend. When words wound, don't recoil in bitterness. Sit with Christ Jesus. Pray. Grieve. Release the pain. And remember this: God's love speaks louder than slander—and His Word always has the final say.
RETURN TO ALL BLOGS
There is a cruelty in this world that never ceases to stun me. Not the kind that fills headlines with violence and mayhem, but the hidden harms—the ones that sneak into conversations and lodge in the heart like splinters. Slander. Gossip. Words whispered in private, meant to divide and wound when you’re not there to defend yourself.
I know this pain intimately. Just this month, someone reached out to a dear friend of mine, under the guise of offering a warning about me, not realizing I have nothing to hide. My life, in all its struggles and imperfections, is already laid bare in my book Confessions.
What he unleashed was alarming—half-truths, accusations, and malicious claims with no grounding in reality. Words meant to twist perception, plant fear, and sow doubt. Like most who slander, he never invited me into the conversation. He whispered in secrecy, reopening old hurts that God had long put away.
It's a strange kind of suffering, isn't it? To know you've owned your errors, done your best to repent and make amends, and sought to live with integrity and humility—and still to be dragged into the mud of someone else's narrative. Slander does more than misrepresent; it divides. Scripture says in Proverbs 6:16–19 that it is an abomination to the LORD, "he that soweth discord among brethren." Every whispered suspicion undermines trust, erodes relationships, and leaves wounds that are slow to mend.
So, how do we respond when the cruelty of words pierces us? When someone takes it upon themselves to act as judge, jury, and executioner over our lives?
At first, my heart was heavy with confusion and frustration. Why would someone, years later, choose to hurt rather than build up? That question grieved me, not only for what it stirred in me, but for what it revealed about the condition of his heart.
In the midst of wrestling with these feelings, I was reminded of a profound truth in Psalm 141:5. God’s justice is never delayed or overlooked—He will deal with the injustice of others: "Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities." As the psalm says, our prayers may rest even in the midst of their misdeeds, for God’s timing is perfect and His judgments flawless.
As I prayed through the weeks, Christ met me in the stillness. He came gently to the place where I was hurting and spoke peace to my heart. And He reminded me that He understands. He, too, was betrayed and falsely accused. Christ endured slander and malice throughout His ministry and did so with grace. He bore it all without retaliation, and because of that, He walks with us when we face the same.
In that realization, my prayers began to shift. Instead of asking the Lord to “reward him according to his works" (2 Timothy 4:14), I began to pity him. Anyone who gossips or slanders carries a restless spirit. They are not at peace. Their eyes are distracted on the faults of others, blind to their own bonds. So, my prayers turned toward restoration: that God would open his eyes, replace bitterness and fear with peace, and lead him to discover the freedom he cannot find in gossip.
I have also seen what happens when slander goes unchecked. Over the years, I've watched God's discipline unfold—not as a public spectacle, but with His careful, exacting wisdom. I have seen influence stripped away, health fail, and pride dismantled. I have even seen God call two individuals Home to Heaven. I don't rejoice in these acts; I grieve them. But they remind me that God does not ignore the wounds inflicted by slander, gossip, and discord. He rights what is wrong and humbles the wrongdoer in His way and in His time.
And here is a delicate but essential truth: slander is never the final word. Whispered suspicions do wound, but they cannot define us. Psalm 37:5 anchors us: "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." We are not called to chase rumors or defend ourselves against accusations. We are called to live faithfully, speak honestly, and let God's faithfulness outshine what human words cannot destroy.
If you know the piercing of slander, hear this: you are not alone, and this harm does not define you. Your worth is not measured by whispers behind your back but by the One who knows your heart completely and still loves you endlessly. And if, by God's grace, you can pray for those who despise and wound you, you loosen the chains of bitterness and make space for God to move in ways you cannot yet see.
Here is the hope I want to leave with you—not a shallow hope of quick vindication, but a solid hope. This is the hope that grows when we sit with Jesus in our pain and let His presence and Word soothe our wounds. We can trust Him with the hearts of those who wish us harm. Fabrications cannot withstand the integrity of a life surrendered to Christ. Slander cannot stand against the light of God's truth.
So, take heart, my friend. When words wound, don't recoil in bitterness. Sit with Christ Jesus. Pray. Grieve. Release the pain. And remember this: God's love speaks louder than slander—and His Word always has the final say.
RETURN TO ALL BLOGS
