Transcription
Let me tell you something. There comes a day when the proud get humbled, when the loud gets silenced, and when the one who thought they were the winner gets exposed for the fool they really are. That day is here for the narcissist in your life.
They strutted around like they were untouchable. They told their stories, painted you as the villain, and convinced themselves and maybe even some people around them that they had won. Oh, but God was watching and God was keeping score.
See, you didn't have to clap back. You didn't have to prove your worth. You didn't have to chase them down. Because the same God who saw them mock you, belittle you, and replace you is the same God who is now letting them sit in a pit of embarrassment and depression they dug for themselves.
Right now, that narcissist is waking up every morning with a heaviness they can't shake. They can't eat right. They can't sleep right because every quiet moment is haunted by one reality: "I messed up and I can't fix it." They're realizing far too late that in trying to play you, they played themselves. And that's not your doing. That's God's justice in motion. From arrogance to humiliation.
Let's talk about arrogance for a moment. Not the kind of healthy confidence that comes from knowing who you are in God. I mean the kind of arrogance that blinds a person to truth, that makes them believe they're above correction, above consequence, above everyone else. That's the arrogance the narcissist in your life carried like a badge of honor.
They didn't just think they had you figured out. They were convinced you were beneath them. Every word, every gesture, every decision was laced with that unspoken message: "You need me more than I need you." And they lived like that was gospel truth.
They strutted through rooms as if their position in your life was permanent. They smiled in your face with the same mouth that gossiped about you when you weren't around. They played the victim in other people's ears while painting you as the villain. And here's the thing. For a while, they got away with it. People believed them. They won sympathy they didn't deserve. They looked like they were thriving without you. And I can hear somebody saying, "Yeah, that's exactly what happened to me."
But listen, the story doesn't end there. Because you see, arrogance has a fatal flaw. It doesn't account for the timing and justice of God. The narcissist thought they were in control of the story. They thought their lies were permanent ink, their image unshakable, their throne untouchable.
But God, God was watching the whole time. He saw the tears you cried in secret. He saw the nights you couldn't sleep because you were replaying the betrayal in your mind. He heard the prayers you whispered, not prayers for revenge, but for understanding, for strength, for peace. And God said, "Hold on. I'm going to show you something."
See, when God humbles the proud, he doesn't always do it with thunder and lightning. Sometimes it's slow. Sometimes it's so subtle that the person being humbled doesn't even realize it's happening until they look around and realize the crowd is gone. The applause has stopped, the mask is slipping, and the power they thought they had over you has vanished.
It started with little cracks. A friend they trusted began to keep their distance. A co-worker they manipulated finally called them out. A family member they turned against you started seeing through the lies. Those cracks got bigger. And before long, the entire image they had crafted started to collapse.
And here's the part I need you to catch. You didn't lift a finger. You didn't have to fight back. You didn't have to explain yourself to every person who believed them. God himself stepped in and began pulling the threads of their facade until it unraveled in public.
One day they woke up and realized the respect they once commanded was gone. People were talking, but not in the way they used to. The same lips that once praised them now whispered questions. The same people who once defended them started asking, "Wait a minute. Maybe we didn't see the whole truth."
Humiliation for someone who's built their identity on pride is like poison in the bloodstream. It moves slow, but it's deadly. It eats away at their confidence, their relationships, their image. And no matter how much they try to rebuild, it's never quite the same because once God exposes a lie, it can't be covered up again.
Proverbs 16:18 says, "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall." That's not a cute saying. It's a spiritual law. The narcissist planted seeds of pride and now they're reaping a harvest of humiliation.
And here's what's even more powerful. This isn't your doing. This isn't you plotting revenge or trying to ruin them. This is God's justice. The same God who says in Isaiah 54:17, "No weapon formed against you shall prosper," is the same God who made sure the weapon they tried to use against you backfired on them now.
The one who used to walk into a room with their head high is looking down. The one who spoke so loudly against you now has nothing to say. The one who thought they had won is realizing they lost the moment they chose pride over truth, ego over love, lies over integrity.
And I'm telling you right now, God is still working. You might think this is the end of the story, but for them, this is only the beginning of their humbling depression and isolation. The unavoidable consequence.
Here's what they never thought about when they were standing tall in their pride. Every bridge they burned, every heart they broke, every lie they told was a seed. And seeds don't disappear, they grow. And right now, the narcissist in your life is sitting in a harvest they never imagined would be theirs.
When they walked away from you, they thought they were walking into freedom. They thought you were the problem, the weight holding them back, the reason they couldn't be happy. They believed that if they just replaced you, if they just stepped into a new relationship or surrounded themselves with fun friends, life would suddenly become better.
Oh, they celebrated at first. They posted the pictures. They smiled for the cameras. They told the story they wanted people to believe: "I'm doing great. I've moved on. I'm living my best life." And for a moment, maybe some people believed it.
But the thing about performance is the curtain always falls. And when it does, you're left with the truth. The truth for them is a dark, empty room. No audience, no applause, just silence. And here's the painful part. It's not the kind of silence that brings peace. It's the kind of silence that keeps you up at night, staring at the ceiling, replaying every wrong move you made.
They can't eat right. Food has no flavor. They can't sleep right. Every time they close their eyes, they see the faces of the people they hurt, especially yours. They wake up in the morning with a heaviness in their chest they can't explain to anyone because to admit the truth would mean confessing they were wrong.
Depression when it comes as a consequence of your own actions is different. It's heavier. It's lonelier. It's not just sadness. It's shame mixed with regret. It's knowing you had something good and watching it slip away because you couldn't let go of your ego.
And the isolation, oh, that's God's doing. When God begins to deal with someone, he knows how to clear the room. The friends they used to party with gone. The new supply they thought was better than you already showing cracks. The family members they turned against you now seeing the truth. Slowly, one by one, the people they leaned on start to disappear.
God does that on purpose because some lessons can't be learned with an audience. Now the narcissist is left with their own thoughts and the ghost of what they lost. They remember how you prayed for them when no one else would. They remember how you encouraged them when they wanted to quit. They remember the peace your presence brought into their life. A peace they thought they could replace, but now realize was rare, holy, and God-given.
And that memory doesn't comfort them. It torments them because they know deep down they'll never find it again. Psalm 32:10 says, "Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord." That's the difference right now. They are surrounded by sorrow while you are surrounded by God's love. They are isolated while you are covered.
They may try to hide it from the world. They might still post the pictures, still tell the stories, still smile when they're in public. But depression has a way of leaking through the cracks. You can see it in their eyes. You can hear it in the pauses between their words. You can feel it in the way they don't quite have the same energy they used to.
And if you've ever been in that place yourself, you know, this is not a storm you can fake your way out of. This is a storm that forces you to sit still, forces you to face yourself, forces you to reckon with the truth. Galatians 6:7 says it plain: "Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows."
And right now they are reaping the loneliness, the regret, the inner emptiness they planted when they chose selfishness over love, manipulation over honesty, pride over humility. And no matter how much they might want to reach out to you now to hear your voice, to pull you back into their orbit, you have to understand this season is between them and God. They need to sit in it. They need to feel the full weight of it. They need to know what life feels like without the covering, without the blessing, without the light you brought into their world. Because until they've lived in that darkness long enough to desire true change, any return to you would just be another manipulation.
Realizing they played themselves, you know, there's a moment in life when the lights come on and everything you've been pretending not to see is suddenly right in front of you. For the narcissist in your life, that moment has arrived. They are waking up every day with a heaviness they can't shake. And they're starting to realize something that's been too painful to admit until now.
Every step they took to hurt you was a step toward destroying themselves. They thought they were strategic. They thought they were clever. They thought they had you figured out like a book they'd already read. Every word they spoke, every action they took was calculated to make you lose, to make you question your worth, to make you feel like you weren't enough.
They played games with your mind, with your heart, and with your life, thinking they could walk away unscathed. But what they didn't realize was that the scoreboard was never in their hands. The scoreboard belongs to God. And God doesn't crown manipulators as champions. He doesn't hand trophies to liars. He doesn't declare victory for the proud.
No, he allows them to run their course, to build their little empire of deceit. And then, when the time is right, he lets them trip over their own arrogance. It started subtly. The relationship they left you for, the one they thought was an upgrade, began to show cracks. The new person started to see the same behaviors you saw. The friends they once used as flying monkeys began to keep their distance. The job, the lifestyle, the so-called success they bragged about started to lose its shine.
At first, they blamed others. "It's not my fault. People changed. Times are hard. They betrayed me." But eventually, even they couldn't ignore the truth. The common denominator in all their problems is them. And that truth is like a thorn in their soul. Every time they try to get comfortable, it pokes at them. Every time they try to rebuild their image, it reminds them that the foundation is cracked. Every time they see you or even hear your name, it's a mirror reflecting the reality they can't escape: "I had something good. I destroyed it, and I can't get it back."
This is the essence of playing yourself. It's not just losing. It's setting up the whole board to hurt someone else only to realize you've been your own opponent the entire time. Galatians 6:7 makes it plain: "Do not be deceived. God is not mocked. For whatever one sows, that will he also reap." They sowed pride. They sowed manipulation. They sowed betrayal. And now they're reaping isolation, regret, and shame.
And let's not forget, you warned them. Maybe not in a dramatic "stand on the table and preach" kind of way, but you gave them truth. You said, "This isn't going to end well. This isn't love. This isn't sustainable. You're going to regret this." And they laughed. They rolled their eyes. They told people you were bitter, jealous, controlling. Now they're sitting in the very mess you told them was coming.
And the worst part? They can't even run to you for comfort anymore. They know they burned that bridge. They know your peace is not for sale. They know your silence speaks louder than anything they could say. Your absence is the loudest sermon they've ever heard. Not your anger, not your revenge, just your absence, your joy, your peace, your growth. That's what cuts them deep because it proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were never your source. And they never had the power they thought they had over you.
So now they're stuck with the reality. They played themselves right out of your life. And friend, that's a game you don't get a rematch for. If you've ever seen God turn the tables so completely that the person who tried to break you ended up breaking themselves, I want you to drop in the comments: "They played themselves." Somebody needs to see your words today and know that you can walk away without fighting back because God knows exactly how to deal with those who try to destroy his children. God lifts you while they sink.
While they've been sinking deeper into the mess they created, something completely different has been unfolding in your life. Because here's the thing about God. He doesn't just remove you from the hands of someone who meant you harm. He places you in a position where their hands can never reach you again. And he doesn't do it quietly. No, he does it in such a way that even your enemies have to acknowledge, "Surely the Lord has been with them."
Um, let's be honest. There was a time when you were the one gasping for air. When their betrayal knocked the wind out of you, when their lies poisoned your relationships, when their rejection made you question your worth. But while you were in that valley, God was working. He was pulling you out of places you didn't even realize were dangerous for you. He was severing ties you thought you needed, but were actually chains in disguise. He was building your character, deepening your roots, and teaching you to rely on him instead of on people who only wanted you when you were useful to them.
They thought leaving you would ruin you. They thought replacing you would erase you. They thought watching you struggle would give them satisfaction. And maybe for a brief moment, they felt that satisfaction. But what they didn't see was the hand of God already lifting you out of the very pit they celebrated seeing you in.
Psalm 40:2 says, "He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure." That's what he's done for you. And here's what makes God's elevation so different from the world's. It's not built on manipulation, lies, or competition. It's built on obedience, faith, and the favor that comes from walking with him.
You didn't have to claw your way back. You didn't have to beg anyone to believe in you. You didn't have to fake a smile or post staged moments to prove you were okay. God's blessing on your life became the evidence. And now, look at you. You're not just surviving. You're flourishing. The heaviness is gone. Your smile is genuine. You wake up with peace instead of dread. The opportunities in your life aren't things you chase down. They're things God sent straight to your path. And every good thing happening to you now is a direct contradiction to every lie they ever told about you.
Meanwhile, they're still trying to tread water in the sea of consequences they created. Every move they make feels harder. Every relationship they touch crumbles faster. Every plan they try to start falls apart. And the truth is, they can't even focus on themselves fully because they're too distracted watching you rise.
Isaiah 60:15 says, "Whereas you have been forsaken and hated with no one passing through, I will make you majestic forever, a joy from age to age." That's the shift that's taken place. The very thing they thought would break you has become the stage God is using to display his glory through your life.
Think about it. They had front-row seats to your lowest point. They saw you crying. They saw you struggling. They saw you wondering how you were going to make it. And now those same eyes have to watch you walk in blessing after blessing, favor after favor, door after door opening for you. And here's the part that humbles even the strongest egos: You didn't have to destroy them to rise. You didn't even have to mention their name. Your victory came without needing to drag them down because the one who lifted you higher was already dealing with them in his own way.
So while they sink, weighed down by shame, regret, and the crumbling of the false life they built, you are being elevated by the steady, faithful hand of God. And the distance between where you are now and where they are now is a gap only God could create. This is why I tell people all the time, don't chase revenge. Don't waste your energy trying to prove yourself to those who are committed to misunderstanding you. Let God handle the sinking, and you focus on the rising. Because when God lifts you, no one can pull you back down. And when God allows someone to sink, no one can pull them back up until they've learned the lesson he intends for them to learn.
One thing I've learned about narcissists, and I need you to hear me on this, is that they can walk away from you. They can block your number. They can smear your name, but they cannot stop watching you. They may not be bold enough to admit it, but it's there. It's a compulsion they can't control. They'll keep checking. They'll keep peeking. And no matter how far they go, they keep a tether tied back to you because deep down they know they've lost something they'll never get back.
At the beginning, right after they left, their watching was smug. They weren't looking for your happiness. They were looking for proof of your pain. They wanted to see you struggling, see you miserable, see you desperate enough to reach back out to them. It fed their ego to think you couldn't live without them.
But something happened that they didn't prepare for. Instead of watching you break, they watched you build. Instead of seeing you spiral, they saw you soar. That's when their watching turned into something darker. Not curiosity, not concern, obsession. They started checking your social media at odd hours, scrolling through every post, reading between the lines. They'd ask mutual friends about you, pretending it was just catching up. Some of them even went as far as creating fake accounts just to keep tabs without being seen.
And if you think I'm exaggerating, I'm not. This is what happens when someone who lives for control realizes they've lost it completely. And here's the part that stings them the most: They can't change the narrative anymore. Narcissists thrive on controlling the story, but the story now speaks for itself. Every image of you smiling, every post celebrating a win, every visible sign of your peace—it's all evidence that they were wrong about you, that you were never the broken one, that you never needed them the way they wanted to believe you did.
And it bothers them. Oh, it bothers them deeply. Because every time they see you happy, it's a reminder that they didn't break you, they freed you. And in their world, that's the ultimate insult to their ego. Now, some of you can feel this in your spirit. You know you're being watched. It's that sudden like on a post from months ago. It's that strange friend request from an account with no picture. It's a mutual acquaintance casually mentioning your name in a conversation they had no reason to be having. These are breadcrumbs from someone who's trying to stay connected to you in secret.
And let me be clear, their obsession isn't always because they love you or because they've changed. No, for many of them, it's about control. It's about wanting to know if you're still within their reach. It's about feeding their need to measure themselves against you. Proverbs 4:16 says, "For they cannot rest until they do evil. They are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble." That's why they keep looking. They're hoping for a crack in your armor, a stumble in your step. They want to see a weakness they can exploit if they ever get the chance.
But here's what they can't grasp: The same God who delivered you from their hands is the same God who keeps you standing strong under their watch. And God will let them see just enough of your blessings to remind them of his power over your life. The more they watch, the more they hurt themselves. Because every glimpse of your joy is a mirror showing them what they threw away. Every picture of your growth is a reminder that they're standing still. Every sign of your peace preaches the same sermon over and over: "I was never your supply. God was."
And here's the spiritual truth they don't want to face: This watching, this obsessing is part of their judgment. Because while you've moved on, they're stuck looking backward. While you're focused on your present and future, they're trapped, replaying the past. And until they repent, until they face their own darkness, they'll stay in that loop, watching from the shadows, longing for access they'll never have again.
There is a truth that many people don't want to accept, but I have to speak it plainly. When a narcissist tries to come back, it is rarely because God has transformed their heart. More often, it's because life without you has exposed just how much they depended on you. And now they want that comfort, that safety, that supply again. But dependence is not the same as love. And longing is not the same as change.
You have to learn to separate regret from repentance. Regret says, "I miss what you gave me." Repentance says, "I was wrong. I've turned away from my ways and I will not go back." Regret is about missing benefits. Repentance is about transformed character. You see, regret will make someone cry, apologize, and promise to do better. But once they get what they want, they go right back to their old behavior. Repentance will make someone humble themselves before God, take accountability, and commit to walking a new path, even if they never get you back.
And this is where you must be wise because a narcissist can mimic the appearance of repentance, but it's only a costume. They will study what you want to hear and they will say it. They will watch how genuine people behave and they will imitate it. But time has a way of stripping away the mask. That's why Jesus said in Matthew 10:16, "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." Shrewd means discerning. It means you look beyond the words to see the fruit.
So ask yourself, are they moving closer to God or just closer to you? Are they showing humility or just desperation? Are they building trust or just expecting you to hand it over? A changed person doesn't just want your forgiveness. They want to make it right, even if it takes years. A changed person doesn't just say, "I'm sorry." They say, "Here is how I will live differently from now on."
And here's the trap. Some of them will return with the perfect timing. Right when you're lonely, right when you're tired, right when you're vulnerable, they'll say, "God told me to come back." Hoping to bypass your discernment by pulling on your faith. And if you're not careful, you'll mistake their presence for God's plan.
Listen to me. The Holy Spirit will never lead you back into a prison he just freed you from. If the same patterns are still there, if their circle is still toxic, if their pride still surfaces when challenged, that's not restoration, that's recycling pain.
Think about Israel in the wilderness. God had just delivered them from Egypt, but some kept longing for what they left behind. They said, "We remember the food in Egypt, the leaks, the onions, the meat." They romanticized slavery because they forgot the cost, the chains, the lashes, the oppression. And because they kept looking back, they delayed their entrance into the promised land. That's exactly what happens when you reattach yourself to someone God has cut away. You slow down your destiny. You trade the freedom he died to give you for a comfort that will eventually choke you again.
Proverbs 26:11 gives us the harshest but clearest picture: "As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly." God is saying, "Don't go back to what made you sick. Don't return to the same poison, no matter how sweetly it's offered this time."
So what do you do? You forgive. Yes. Because forgiveness is for your heart, not their benefit. You bless them in prayer. But you keep your boundaries. You keep your peace. You keep your eyes on God. Because if they truly belong in your future, they will come back whole, healed, and humbled. Not just hungry for what you can give. Until then, guard your gates, not out of fear, but out of wisdom, because the same God who shut that door before knows exactly why it needed to be shut, and he will not ask you to reopen it until it's safe.
When the narcissist finally reaches the place where their pride can no longer carry them, when the facade begins to crack, when the same mouth that once boasted now falls silent, it is a sobering sight for you. The one who endured the storm, it can awaken a mix of emotions: relief, validation, even pity. But you must understand, witnessing this moment is not about entertainment or vindictive satisfaction. It is part of the lesson God is writing into your life.
God could have closed this chapter privately. He could have removed them from your path and hidden from you every detail of their decline. But in his wisdom, he sometimes lets you see the unraveling. Not so you can gloat, but so that your faith in his justice can be solidified. For years perhaps you cried in silence asking, "Lord, do you see what they are doing to me? Do you hear the lies they are spreading? Do you know the weight I carry because of their cruelty?" And for a time it seemed heaven was quiet. But now you can see he was listening all along and he was keeping record.
This is the truth behind Psalm 23:5: "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows." God doesn't just restore you in secret. Sometimes he lets those who mocked you witness the restoration themselves. He lets them see that the very one they underestimated has been lifted, blessed, and protected beyond their reach. Their downfall, painful as it may be for them, becomes the backdrop that makes God's favor on your life even more undeniable.
Yet, here is where the deeper part of the lesson lies. Your eyes cannot stay fixed on them. The danger of watching someone reap the consequences of their actions is that you can become just as distracted by their fall as you once were by their attack. God is not showing you their collapse so you can live in the shadow of their misery. He is showing you so you can move forward with a renewed awareness of his sovereignty.
Their emptiness is a contrast to the fullness he has given you. Their chaos is a reminder of the peace you now enjoy. Their silence is evidence that God himself has silenced the voices that once rose against you. It is also a warning. If pride could bring them low, it could do the same to anyone who stops leaning on God. The lesson is not only about their failure. It's about your need to remain humble, guarded, and anchored in the one who lifted you out of the same pit. Proverbs 16:18 reminds us, "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." You have seen the truth of that with your own eyes.
Spiritual maturity means you can acknowledge the justice of God without taking pleasure in the pain of another. It means you can release them completely into his hands, refusing to interfere. Even when pity tempts you to step back into a role God has already freed you from, it means you trust his process enough to say, "Lord, I will not run ahead of you, and I will not try to be the savior you never called me to be in their life."
Um, Isaiah 54:17 declares, "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that rises against you in judgment, you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from me, says the Lord." You are living that reality now. The weapons they formed were sharp, but they did not win. The tongues that slandered you were loud, but they could not outlast God's truth. And now, standing where you are, you can see that their fall is not random. It is the natural consequence of opposing the hand of God over someone's life.
So what is the lesson? Trust God's timing when he seems silent. Trust his justice when you feel powerless. And most importantly, keep your focus on the path ahead. Because if you keep your eyes on their ruin, you risk slowing down your own rise. Their collapse was never meant to be your destination. It was a signpost pointing to the faithfulness of the one who delivered you. In the end, the greatest victory is not that they fell, but that you stood and are still standing.
There comes a moment when God shifts the focus from what you've been through to what he's taking you into. You've seen the narcissist's mask fall. You've witnessed the weight of their own choices press down on them. You felt the vindication of God's justice. But child of God, your story is not meant to camp at the scene of their downfall. The true victory is found in stepping fully into the greater purpose God has prepared for you.
For too long, your energy was consumed by survival. You lived in reaction to their chaos, their manipulations, their schemes. Your prayers were cries for rescue. Your days were battles for peace. But now that season is over. The same God who defended you is now inviting you to build without the constant interference of their shadow.
And here is the beauty of God's timing. The moment he closes a door, he is already opening another. When he removes someone from your life, it is never to leave you empty. It is to create space for something far richer, far healthier, far more aligned with his plan. That's why the enemy fought so hard to keep you entangled. Because your freedom marks the beginning of a chapter the narcissist can never be part of.
Jeremiah 29:11 is not just a comforting verse. It's a living promise over your life: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future." Those plans were always there. Even in the years you felt overlooked. Even when the narcissist tried to derail you, God's blueprint never changed.
Now that you're free, you will notice something shift inside you. The dreams you had to put on hold will begin to stir again. The peace you thought was lost forever will take root in your spirit. Doors of opportunity will open that you never thought you'd walk through, not because you chased them, but because you stayed faithful while God fought your battle.
And don't be surprised if the very people who believed the narcissist's lies start to see the truth without you saying a word. Your life will preach louder than your defense ever could. Your stability will speak volumes. Your joy will testify. God has a way of making your elevation the answer to every question about who was right and who was wrong.
But here's the challenge. You cannot step into this new season with the same mindset you had in the last. If you carry the bitterness, the suspicion, the need to prove yourself, you will limit what God can do with you now. This is the time to release, to forgive, to let him rebuild your heart so it can hold the blessings he's sending.
Think of Joseph in Genesis, betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused and imprisoned. Yet when the time came for him to stand in the palace, he said, "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to accomplish what is now being done." Joseph didn't let the betrayal define his future. He let God's purpose redefine his pain. That is what he's calling you to do now. To stop seeing yourself as the one who survived the narcissist and start seeing yourself as the one who is thriving under God's hand. To stop measuring your life by what they lost and start measuring it by what God is restoring. To stop rehearsing their offense and start rejoicing in his deliverance.
You are not just walking away from something toxic. You are walking towards something holy. And the same God who turned their schemes into your stepping stones will keep leading you forward if you keep your eyes on him. So lift your head, straighten your shoulders, step into this next chapter like someone who knows they are chosen, protected, and appointed for greater, because you are.