Sunday Soul Food: When Love Gets Targeted
This Sunday Soul Food names the ache of being targeted, manipulated, and isolated by people you love - then points you back to the table God sets for you anyway. When their games get loud, you ground your week by standing ten toes down in who He says you are.
There is a special kind of ache that comes from being targeted by the people you love most. When you have a pure heart, you assume the ones closest to you have your best interest at heart too. So when they lie, manipulate, isolate, and play psychological games while you are just trying to love and lift everyone around you, it feels like the ground under your feet gives way. Sunday Soul Food is my space to name that kind of pain - and then anchor myself again in who God says I am.
When The Ones You Love Aim At You
It would almost be easier if the attacks came from strangers. Instead, they come from people who know my history, my wounds, my hopes, and my soft spots. I have watched people I trusted use my vulnerability as leverage, twist my kindness into weakness, and move pieces around me like I am part of some strategy board. The isolation is not accidental; it is intentional. The confusion is not random; it is designed.
When you are being gas-lit and played with, it is easy to start believing you are the problem. But Scripture reminds me that even God’s people have been betrayed by those closest to them. King David knew what it was to be wounded by a companion whose words were “smooth as butter” while their heart plotted harm. Jesus Himself was betrayed with a kiss by someone who walked closely with Him. I am not the first to experience this, and I will not be the last - but God sees every move.
“If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it… But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend.”
Psalm 55:12–13 (NIV)
This Is Not The Moment To Break
When the people around you keep proving they are willing to use you, it can feel like the hundredth time you have had to start over. Careers can be destroyed, reputations attacked, friendships poisoned - and yet God keeps standing me back up. The temptation is to get bitter, shut down, and decide that love was the mistake.
But this is not the moment to get rattled. This is the moment to plant my feet - ten toes down - and remember who I am in God. My assignment is not to become like those who harm me. My assignment is to stay aligned with Truth, even if I have to rebuild my life from the ground up again and again. God is my defender. He sees the deceit, and He promises justice in His time.
“Vindicate me, my God, and plead my cause against an unfaithful nation. Rescue me from those who are deceitful and wicked.”
Psalm 43:1 (NIV)
Anchoring My Identity In God, Not Their Games
When you are full of love, it is shocking to realize some people are intentionally trying to harm you. But their behavior is not a mirror of my worth; it is a reflection of their own heart. If I let their manipulation define me, I will shrink into someone God never designed me to be. So instead, I keep coming back to what He says:
- I am loved, even when others weaponize my kindness.
- I am seen, even when others pretend not to know what they are doing.
- I am protected, even when the schemes feel one step ahead of me.
Jesus does not ask me to deny the harm, but He does ask me not to let hatred take root. Loving my enemies does not mean letting them keep access to my life; it means refusing to let their darkness control my heart. I can set boundaries, speak truth, and still choose not to become what hurt me.
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”
Luke 6:27–28 (NIV)
Soul Food For The Week Ahead
Here is the nourishment I am taking into this week, and I offer it to you too:
- I will not agree with lies about who I am.
I may have to hear their stories about me, but I do not have to adopt them. God’s word about me is final. - I will keep moving forward, even if I have to start from zero again.
Starting over does not mean I failed; it means God is still willing to write new chapters with me. - I will ask God to separate me from those who intend harm.
I can pray for them and still release them. My heart is not a playground for manipulation. - I will let God feed my soul, not the drama around me.
Worship, Scripture, rest, and honest prayer will be my food—not their games, not their opinions.
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing… You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”
Psalm 23:1, 5 (NIV)
Sunday Soul Food Prayer: For The One Who’s Been Targeted
Jesus,
You see how deeply it hurts
to be targeted by people I love,
to be played with,
lied to,
and taken advantage of
while all I have ever wanted
is to love well
and lift people higher.
You know the games,
the secrets,
the whispered conversations,
and the isolation
that has been crafted around me.
None of it
is hidden from Your eyes.
Anchor me
in who You say I am.
When their words
try to define me,
let Your truth
speak louder.
When I am tempted
to give up
or grow bitter,
steady my heart
and keep me soft,
but not naïve.
Rescue me
from deceitful and unjust people.
Close the doors
that are meant to harm me,
and open the ones
no one can shut.
Surround me
with honest,
courageous,
loving souls
who reflect Your heart.
Teach me
how to love my enemies
without surrendering
my safety or my calling.
Let my boundaries
be an act of obedience,
not hardness.
As I step into this new week,
feed my soul with Your presence.
Let my strength come
from knowing
that You vindicate,
You restore,
and You never abandon
the ones who trust You.
Amen.
This is the soul food I am carrying into the week: I may be targeted, misunderstood, and made to start over again and again, but I am not alone, not crazy, and not without a Defender. God walks with me into every “new beginning,” and that means I can keep moving forward - ten toes down, heart still soft, eyes fixed on Him.
With truth, courage, and grace,
Eugene 💘
EugeniasThought: Keep Rising and Shining Beautiful Souls!
Every word is a whisper of intention, carved in stillness and light.
🎧 Frequency Feature: The Sound of Silence
The Sound of Silence is a hauntingly fitting companion for this Sunday Soul Food because it captures the ache of being surrounded by people yet starved of honesty, truth, and real care. In the same way the song moves through quiet pain and unspoken tension, this reflection sits inside that silence and chooses a different response - anchoring into God’s voice when human voices manipulate, lie, or disappear, and letting His truth be louder than the games being played in the shadows.
Weekly Editorial Rhythm
• Monday: Monday Morning Grace - a gentle start to the week with faith-centered encouragement
• Tuesday: Truth-Telling Tuesday - authentic reflections on living faith boldly
• Wednesday: The Midweek Mirror - a pause for spiritual reflection and self-compassion
• Thursday: Frequency Thursday - tuning into God's voice amid life's noise
• Friday: Follow Friday - exploring what it means to follow Jesus in everyday moments
• Saturday: Sacred Saturday - rest, reflection, and spiritual practices
• Sunday: Sunday Soul Food - nourishing reflections to ground your week ahead
Your Journey Starts Here
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There are still a few details unfolding, but trust that everything is aligning in its own time - and you'll be the first to know when it's ready.
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May you move at the pace of peace this week and trust the rhythm that is uniquely yours.