Are You Like a Pineapple?

Jusus, inspiration, loveIt was difficult not to be offended. I struggled not to take it personally but admit my feelings were hurt.

Why was she being so prickly towards me? I thought back over my actions, racking my brain to find something I may have done to cause this unpleasant reaction. Nothing came to mind.

I was still in the “poor me” mode when something a friend said to me recently popped into my head. She told me she’s like a pineapple sometimes, prickly on the outside but soft and easily bruised on the inside.

Perhaps my offender was hiding her bruised interior beneath a prickly surface designed to keep others from getting too close. Since this is someone I won’t be in contact with again, I will never know if she was hurting or just miserable. I choose to give her the benefit of the doubt.

It’s easy to think of times when I have been bruised inside and did my best not to let it show. If I risked being vulnerable I may have been hurt even more. Or, I may have dissolved into tears which would have shown my weakness.

How many have judged me the way I judged someone based on the mask that she wore? I can’t know what another is thinking or feeling, but I can react with compassion rather than anger and disappointment.

I’m so thankful that Jesus knows me intimately. He loves me even when I am unlovable. He sees my heart and is there to bandage my tender bruised emotions. This is the unconditional love that all of us need.

He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds. (Psalm 147:3 NLT)

O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD. (Psalm 139:1-4 NLT)

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