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I just finished having my quiet time with God, and this quiet time was a very emotional one for me. Allow me to explain.
I am the type of person who does not like to see anyone suffer. Although I know hardship is inevitable in life and that it helps us grow (See Romans 5:3-5), it still breaks my heart to see anyone going through difficult times. What hurts even more is that there are over one million of you (my readers), and many of you are having to endure hardships that I cannot even begin to imagine. I wish I could personally help each one of you, but because I am only one person, I understand that I simply cannot. The good news is that I know of the One who can (See Psalms 121:1-2), and it fills my heart with joy when I read some of your comments on how our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, has delivered many of you out of some seemingly impossible situations.
As I continued my quiet time, my thoughts then began to focus on those who are incessantly teased, bullied, picked on, made fun of, however one may label it. I know this is a common occurrence with children, but this occurs amongst adults, as well, whether it is on the job, in the church, in the home, or via social media. This has happened to some of my closest friends, a few of my family members, to many of you, and yes, in the past, it has happened to me also. Some of you are able to just brush off what others do or say to you. However, many of you have confided in me of how the rude, inconsiderate, and senseless actions of others have taken a major toll on you emotionally.
I want to take the time to explain something to you. Now, I have briefly written about this in many of my social media postings and in a couple of blogs, but I felt the need to write about this topic again. In many cases (not always), with those who mistreat others, there is usually some sort of turmoil that exists on the inside of that person, and that person does not know how to cope with it. That individual may be struggling with many insecurities, and by inflicting emotional harm on another human, that individual may feel that he/she is gaining some sort of power.
Also think of this - you may have something that person desires. Do you know people will hate you simply because you have what they want? And it is not limited to “material/worldly” possessions either. They may envy you because of your home, car, job, education, spouse, or they may envy you because of your ministry, your talents, or the fact that you are just a happy person. Now, we know that as Christians, we are to be spiritual minded, and we should seek spiritual blessings. However, God will oftentimes choose to bless us in other ways, and there is nothing wrong with that; He just wants us to keep Him first. With anything God blesses us with, we can (and should) be thankful.
If you are reading this and happen to be going through what is mentioned above, I want to encourage you. For many of you, it may hurt, or it may be frustrating. It may make you angry, but remember that you cannot allow what others do to stop you from living and enjoying life. Most importantly, you cannot allow what people do to stop you from doing your work for the Lord. Also remember that you will not always receive a sincere apology. That person may never “grow up”. Yet, that person may change in time. That is why we should never stop praying for others, right?
In conclusion, keep your eyes on God, continue your work for Him, live your life despite what people may do or say, enjoy every single gift our Lord blesses you with, remain appreciative of what you have, love everyone, pray for others, and allow the Lord to deal with the hearts of those who mistreat you (See Romans 12:16-21).
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