Getting Personal

Getting Personal

By Karen Baney

“Don’t take it so personal.”

Have you ever had those words said about you?  I have.

For the most part, I do a pretty good job of not letting things bother me.  But, there are certain situations where I know I’m prone to taking things personally.

After spending the better part of nine months working on a big project at my day job, everything came crashing down.  We were days away from launching a new website that I built.  There was a problem found during testing that had the potential of shutting everything down.

I was crushed because I had worked so hard at making sure I did the best I could to build a quality product.  The worst part was that now every aspect of the work I had done was evaluated and criticized.

Can you see the problem already?  I built.  I did.  I worked hard.  Yeah, I have a tendency to take great ownership (or pride) in the work I do.  I want it to be perfect every time.

Well, as we rolled into the second week of intense scrutiny, I thought I was going to lose my mind.  I couldn’t find anything else wrong.  I tried everything.  Nothing fixed the problem.  Talk of pulling the plug on the project surfaced.

I cried out to God to give me wisdom—then give the team wisdom.  I asked Him to help us find the problem.  I asked him to help me not take it so personally.  I know this is one of my greatest weaknesses.  In my head, I know that I shouldn’t take it personally.  I’ve spent 15 years trying to learn how to not do this, but never succeeding.

Then, in my morning devotion, this is what I read:

My salvation and honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.  Psalm 62:7

The word “honor” jumped out at me.  It finally clicked.  Taking things personally (pride) had more to do with me worrying about what others would think of me.  “Look at Karen.  She failed.”  I thought my honor and reputation at work was destroyed.

Then I began to see the lesson God had for me.  My salvation and honor depend on Him—not my boss, not my boss’s boss, not my customer, not my co-workers, not even the success of the project.  No.  My honor depends solely and squarely on God.

Many days followed before our team figured out where the problem was.  But, it didn’t matter because I finally understood that in order for me to not take things so personally, I had to remember that my salvation and honor depend on God.

What about you?  Is this an area where you struggle?  Do friends and family tell you not to take it so personally?  If so, perhaps this prayer is for you:

Lord Jesus, please help me learn in my heart that my salvation and honor depend fully on you and you alone.  Help me to stop worrying about what others think and to only care what you think.  Amen.

For a limited time only, pick up a free copy of A Heart Renewed (Prescott Pioneers #2) by Karen Baney.

Karen Baney writes Christian historical and contemporary romance novels.  When she’s not busy writing, she enjoys traveling the state of Arizona with her husband, exploring museums and the picturesque landscapes the state has to offer.  Her faith plays an important role both in her life and in her writing.  Karen and her husband make their home in Gilbert, Arizona, with their two dogs.

Visit Karen at her website:  http://www.karenbaney.com or on Facebook or Twitter.  Visit her special blog for authors at http://www.everythingauthor.com.