Here I am again learning to participate in my blessings. It seems like God just keeps pushing me to do better. I’m not complaining. First of all, I’m a huge fan of blessings. I mean, who isn’t? Secondly, I actually like doing better. It makes me feel like I’m growing as a person. The problem comes when I have to do what does not come naturally to me. Let me explain.
I’m not a fan of negativity and gossip. I try to distance myself from people who always have something bad to say. I’ve learned that they aren’t necessarily bad people. Some of them would give you the shirt off their back, but you can best believe they’re going to tell somebody you got their shirt. It’s almost like they have a disorder or something. They have to know who’s doing what and where they doing it at! Then they gotta tell somebody. The information burns a hole in their very soul if they have to keep it to themselves. So like I said, I’m not a fan. Needless to say, I hate to be the target of their attention. It’s happened more times than I care to share and sadly, I didn’t always handle it the right way.
You know that whole be the bigger person stuff? Yeah, I wasn’t! I was small in my thinking and even smaller in my reactions. My pride gave me permission to say whatever I felt they deserved and my hurt jumped on the bandwagon. What they said was designed to tear me down, weaken my testimony, and break my heart. I gave into my emotions and struck back. That felt pretty good, but it didn’t last long. It doesn’t really matter that it was a lie. I soon realized the only thing that mattered was I made myself look bad and feel even worse.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Matthew 5:11-12
You probably get where we’re going now. When you find yourself in this situation, know that you have options. You can get on their level and go for broke, or you can let ’em talk! Talking about you may hurt your feelings and make you mad, but isn’t that the point? Isn’t it more important that you know the truth about you? Even more importantly, God knows! We have to really humble ourselves and put less emphasis on our feelings and more on our goals. In the passage of scripture above, Jesus is talking to the disciples and talking to us. He is teaching us how to be blessed even in the face of emotional adversity. Not only should we expect to be talked about, but we should rejoice!
Hold up! So I am supposed to be happy that people are scandalizing my name to anyone that will listen? Happy when I hear lies about me instead of truth? Happy when I’m hurt? I don’t know about you, but that just doesn’t come natural to me. That’s why I have to change my perspective. I have to stop looking at it through my feelings and look at it through my beliefs. I believe that the word of God is true. That being said, their actions are going to bless me and heaven will reward me!
Now let’s be clear, rejoicing isn’t jumping up and down at the thought of being hurt. It’s actually looking beyond how you feel and setting your sight on the reward that God has for you. It’s not just a heavenly reward. When we turn the other cheek, we experience the gifts of obedience, growth, and peace. So what if people are talking about you for loving God or even bringing up your past. God is hearing every word and he will take care of it. PUSH! You just keep rejoicing and let em talk!
Strengthen. Heal. Empower.
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