My ugly collection

I have an ugly collection, and I'm guessing I'm not the only one.

I collect hurtful comments that others have given me.

Unlike other ugly collections, such as troll dolls and farmer's caps, my collection isn't hidden away on a rec room shelf.

I carry it with me everywhere.

There's the "All you ever do is take, take, take" comment that still makes it difficult to ask friends for help when I need it, the "I'd like to give your kids a good spanking" comments that make me nervous about parenting in public, and the "You dress like a man/clown/slut/lesbian/pregnant lady" (not all at the same time, of course) comments that sent me into the junior high washroom weeping and give me butterflies about wearing new clothes to this very day.

Why would I want to carry around such ugly souvenirs? I'm not sure, but for whatever reason, it takes guts to let them go.

The Bible says "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you" (1 Peter 5:7).

Since I began experiencing God he has removed a few pieces from my collection. I remember being criticized after singing in the front of the church. Years later I asked Jesus to show me where he was in that moment. (I knew he was there somewhere, because he promised in Hebrews 13:5 that he would never leave me.) God gave me a picture of Jesus at the back of the church grinning as he gave me a standing ovation. Now instead of the sting of criticism, that memory has a glow.

Now that's something worth collecting.