“Every time you say ‘God,’ I want to curse,” said Juan.
The two of us sat across from one another in a conference room. And he did profane the Lord’s name. I winced.
“I want to strangle you and throw you out of a window,” he continued.
I looked for some sort of cue that would let me know he was joking. He wasn’t. I could only stare back in fear at his espresso-colored eyes laser-focused on me. But even before this meeting with Juan, I suspected his recent hostility toward me had to do with God.
As a counselor at a crisis hotline, I talked to my callers about God and Jesus for hope and healing. Apparently, Juan despised this. In recent weeks, he bumped into me with an air of disgust. He would also mutter under his breath, audibly enough for me to notice I had mentioned God.
Jesus warned us that we would share in some of His sufferings. The world will hate us as it hated Him. I don’t think I’ve ever been on the receiving end of more hatred for anything other than for being a born-again, Bible-believing Christian. I’ve been persecuted by more coworkers at other jobs, lost a relationship with a sister, and threatened with death for reading my Bible on a New York subway.
Being despised and rejected is not easy. We naturally want people to like and accept us. When they do, we get up and look forward to going to our jobs. Family functions are more fun. But if they don’t, we need to draw on the power of the Holy Spirit to give us the strength to endure hatred and forgive. We must also have fellowship with and love from other believers going through the same trials. Both will be like shots of B12 to our weary souls.
If people make you want to compromise or keep quiet about your faith so that you won’t suffer persecution, walk in the power of the Holy Spirit and fellowship with other believers.
Christine Rhyner is a writer.