You ever have one of those days (maybe weeks, months or even years) where someone in your life is undermining you or your decisions, not believing what you say, and have only words of condemnation when they talk to you?

I have personally experienced this, and have been working through thoughts recently as I'm dealing with an intense relationship right now. It's hard because try as you might, you can't change their mind in the way they think towards you or the choices you've made, even if the choices you've made have been for the betterment of your life.

There's nothing that feels worse than having a hole in your heart because of a broken relationship. A hole that slowly eats its way, sometimes taking whole chunks at a time, until you feel like you just want to give up on the relationship altogether. It's a pain that feels constricting in your chest, and leaves you feeling hopeless.

Giving up on a relationship is not an option for me, or my situation. The pain that I feel is because the people involved are ones that are near and dear to my heart, but I don't and won't give up on anyone. Christ didn't give up on me at my worst, and I have no right to do that to someone else.

When I am feeling condemned and hot tears are streaming down my face at the injustice of wanting a relationship that seems completely out of reach, I'm reminded of the words, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:1,2

Having a life that is condemned by others, and not condemned by God gives amazing strength and clarity to a situation. It takes the eyes off of oneself, and asks questions like "Am I acting in Christ, or am I acting in my flesh?", and "Are the choices I'm making focused on God and leading me closer to Him, or away from Him?" It deflects anger towards the situation and the people involved, and leaves behind a desire to handle oneself appropriately in Christ.

I can live with being condemned by someone in my life, as long as I know that I'm living a life that is hid in Christ, and guided by His leading. My reward is not having to be recognized as being right, but instead knowing that in the grand scheme of things, I am justified because Christ has set me free from my flesh that is always seeking to do me harm.

The second half of Romans 8:1 says "...who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Though the people that are condemning me believe that I'm walking after my flesh, I have only been set free because I'm not pursuing what my flesh wants. I'm walking after the Spirit, and sometimes, or maybe usually, that is a walk that is often invisible to those who want to find fault with others. They don't want to see when God is in control, and they can't see what is in my heart. But God can, and that makes all the difference.

My path has had a sure footing that has not slipped for 4 years now. God set my feet on that path, and He has been faithful to keep me walking steadily towards Him. I have a life that has been blessed exponentially financially, relationally, spiritually, physically, and any other "y's" you can come up with, despite the hardships that have also come in those 4 years.   I am not condemned. I am in Christ. Set free, set apart for Him. And that's a life I can live with.