“Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”
― Winston S. Churchill, Never Give In!: The Best of Winston Churchill's Speeches
1 KINGS 16-18
36At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”38Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.39When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!” (18:36-39)
JOHN 1:29-51
35The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”37When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”39“Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.40Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42And he brought him to Jesus.Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peterg ).
JOURNAL
Yesterday I had an encounter that shook me a little. Nothing catastrophic happened. The world did not fall apart. But I felt misunderstood, and for me that has a way of setting off alarms deep in my heart and mind. It touched old wounds I probably carry more than I realize. I could feel how quickly that feeling can turn into defensiveness, frustration, and reactions heavier than what the actual moment deserves. It reminded me how dangerous it can be when my identity becomes too attached to being understood correctly by everyone around me.
The truth is, we are all going to be misunderstood at times. No matter how sincere we are, how careful we try to be, or how much we desire peace, there will still be moments where people see us incorrectly. And when I look at Scripture, that reality becomes impossible to ignore. Jesus Himself was misunderstood constantly. The Son of God, perfect in truth and love, was falsely accused, rejected, abandoned, and ultimately executed. And somehow, even that was within the sovereignty of God. That is difficult to fully comprehend. Yet there is something unbelievably beautiful inside that truth. Love still endured. Love still conquered. Love did not retreat, harden, or quit. It persisted through betrayal, suffering, misunderstanding, and death itself.
That same love still persists today. It moves through broken people like us. It calls us higher when our pride wants to defend itself. It reminds us that being misunderstood is not the end of the story. Sometimes it is actually part of the refining.
I think about Elijah standing alone on Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18. Surrounded by opposition and a culture that had turned away from God, he still stood firm in obedience. He did not control how people perceived him. He simply trusted God enough to remain faithful. And when the fire fell from heaven, it was not ultimately about Elijah being vindicated. It was about revealing the truth and turning hearts back to God.
Then in John 1, I see Jesus quietly calling ordinary men into something eternal. Andrew follows Him after hearing only a few words from John the Baptist: “Look, the Lamb of God.” Jesus simply says, “Come and see.” And when Simon arrives, Jesus immediately renames him Peter, speaking identity and purpose into him before Peter had accomplished anything at all. Jesus saw beyond weakness, confusion, failure, and misunderstanding. He saw what Peter could become.
That comforts me deeply because it reminds me that God knows me fully, even when others do not. He understands motives, wounds, fears, and intentions better than I ever could explain them. I do not have to spend my life trying to force everyone into understanding me perfectly. That is an exhausting burden God never asked me to carry.
What He asks instead is faithfulness. Humility. Love. The willingness to keep showing up with grace even when old wounds flare up and pride wants to fight back.
And honestly, maybe those moments reveal something important. Maybe they expose places where my heart still longs too desperately for approval, validation, or control. Maybe God uses misunderstanding the same way He uses difficulty, suffering, and stretching. Not to destroy us, but to refine us. To teach us how to love without conditions. To trust without constant reassurance. To remain grounded even when emotions rise up.
Because love that only survives easy circumstances is fragile love. But love that persists through disappointment, rejection, misunderstanding, and pain begins to resemble the heart of Christ.
Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart. I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
That means misunderstanding does not get the final word. Fear does not get the final word. Old wounds do not get the final word.
Love does.
JOHN 16:33
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