And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved. Matt 10:22 (NLT)
Everyone has a story. Most people I know have been bullied, taunted, or even worse, at some point in their lives.
When I was in high school, one of my dear friends was a muslim. I was a Christian. We were both bullied and picked on due to our respective faiths. I have friends that are bullied because they wear glasses, because they watch Star Wars, because they live in a certain part of town, or work at ‘that’ shop, or wear those clothes, or talk like that, or have differently coloured skin, differently shaped eyes, different beliefs, different values…
You name it; the human race has always been able to find something to bully another someone about.
We are all in the same boat here.
However – and I really want to emphasise this – the point of this verse isn’t in how much you will be hated… It's not weighted in the negative end of the sentence…
IT’S ABOUT HOPE. It’s about not giving up!
It’s urging you and I to hold onto our faith in and through anything, because, in the end, it is exactly and only what matters.
Everyone gets picked on in one way, or another. So we can rest assured that none of us is alone in being hated. Hatred and bullying are stunting actions designed to stop the growth of our sense of worth and value, belittle our purpose and shrink our confidence. So when we focus on hate it does nothing but magnify it.
When you feel like you are being attacked, instead of focusing on the hate, narrow in on God’s love for you. Start thinking about His plans and purposes for your life, choose to see Jesus and the value He has placed on your life with His own blood… Choose to keep going. Decide to hold your head high and believe that the best is yet to come. Jesus will never leave you or forsake you… He will be your strength, your guide, your peace and joy.
So, shake it off, and keep on going – let endurance tell your story. We are all in this together.
