Your Peace is Worth Protecting

Last week I woke up to a super fun text from my credit card’s fraud department. 
Did you spend $572.05 at Walmart? Reply Y or N.
Not even a Good morning, Jill. 
Just straight to the crime.

And it’s never something small like, Did you spend $4.50 at Target?
It’s $572.05. A number with confidence.
Like someone furnished an entire dorm room before sunrise and didn’t even bother with a promo code.

So, of course, I shut it down immediately.
No hesitation. No internal debate.
I didn’t second-guess whether it was really fraud or maybe something I forgot I ordered in a moment of weakness.

I just said no. 
Changed the password to my online account, called the credit card company, canceled the card, and reported the charge like I worked in their fraud department myself.

Because when something doesn’t belong, when it doesn’t feel right, you don’t negotiate.
You don’t explain.
You shut it down.

And that got me thinking.
As bizarre, early-morning Walmart drama often does.
What if we handled the other kinds of fraud in our lives that quickly?
The emotional kind.
The mental kind.
The quiet thoughts that show up uninvited and start spending what doesn’t belong to them.

Thoughts like: 
You should be farther along by now.
You’re too old to make an impact.
You’re too young to be taken seriously.
You’re not skilled enough to be successful.
You’ve made too many mistakes to have a fresh start.
You’ve missed the season where that would have worked. 

They don’t show up loud.
They just slip in and start shopping around.
Stealing your energy, your creativity, your confidence.

And too often, instead of shutting them down, we let them browse.
We hand over access. We start adjusting ourselves based on things that were never true to begin with.
But when something doesn’t align with who you are, you are absolutely allowed to shut it down. 

Unlike the credit card company, those thoughts don’t send a fraud alert.
They slip in sounding familiar. Reasonable.
Sometimes even responsible.
But we should be just as quick to protect our peace as we are to protect our credit. 

Your credit card has a fraud team.
Your spirit does too.
It’s called discernment.

Just like fraud, it only takes one unchecked thought to drain everything. You shut your card down in seconds, so why not your thoughts?
Because if you wouldn’t let a stranger spend your money, don’t let a lie spend your peace.

And when you’re not sure what’s true, ask the One who never sends mixed signals.
God doesn’t confuse.
He confirms.
Let that be the voice that gets the final say.