Greetings dear souls, 

There is a scripture I have been sitting with, and the more I read it, the deeper it becomes:

“Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs that He was doing. But Jesus, on His part, did not entrust Himself to them, because He knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for He Himself knew what was in man.”
— John 2:23–25

Jesus knew. He knew what was in man. He knew what was beneath the surface. He knew the human heart, human motives, desires, fears, attachments, insecurities, and the deep need to be seen, loved, chosen, validated, and accepted. And the scripture is very clear: even though people believed in Him because they saw the signs He performed, Jesus did not entrust Himself to them because He knew. He did not blindly place Himself in the hands of people simply because they believed in Him.

That truth has a different kind of freedom in it for me. I can know people without judging them. I can see clearly without becoming hard. I can discern without becoming suspicious. I can recognize what is in someone without allowing what is in them to determine what comes out of me.

Because knowing humanity doesn’t have to make me bitter. It doesn’t have to make me angry. It doesn’t have to make me withdraw from love. Jesus knew..and He remained who He was. He didn’t respond to deception with deception. He didn’t respond to judgment with judgment. He didn’t respond to rejection with rejection. He didn’t play tit for tat. He knew, and He continued to walk in love.

That is the lesson I am carrying with me: I don’t have to be naive to be loving. I don’t have to trust blindly to have an open heart. I don’t have to attach my peace to how another person chooses to show up. I can love people and still have discernment. I can have boundaries without bitterness. I can walk away without hatred. I can forgive without returning to what harmed me. I can understand people without taking their behavior personally.

And perhaps this is why I feel so peaceful in this season of my life. I am not anxious to belong. I am not desperate for companionship. I am not looking for someone to complete me, validate me, choose me, or make me feel whole. I love being with me. I love sitting with myself. I love my own company. I love this present moment.

There is no forcing. No chasing. No grasping. No begging. No trying to control what someone else does or doesn’t do. I am simply here..present, peaceful, whole.

I know that people are human. I know that people may misunderstand me, judge me, disappoint me, reject me, or even deceive me. But I don’t have to become any of it. I don’t have to carry it. I don’t have to retaliate. I don’t have to let it pull me away from who I was created to be.

I can know what is in man..and still choose love. I can see the world as it is..and still choose peace. I can understand humanity..and still remain me.

Because when I know who I am, I don’t need the world to tell me who to be.

I AM THAT I AM.

I am love. I am peace. I am compassion. I am presence. I am becoming. And today, I don’t need to be anything other than exactly who I am.

I will simply continue to be me.

With love,
Melanie Chryshelle ✨
Dr. Chryshelle in the making. 💛

Wake up. Show up. Ignite. 🔥

Let’s go team!