What Do "They" Say?

Okay - last Sunday the lectionary took us to Luke's "Sermon on the Plain" and Jesus said that the poor and the hungry and the weeping are blessed and then he said, and I'm quoting here:

Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.

Okay - I get that there's a special blessing on us when people hate us and talk about us behind our backs and gossip about us and all that - because of our faith in Christ. And I understand why: the world hated (and hates) Jesus and the religious didn't (and don't) even understand Him...

But...

What about when people hate me, exclude me, revile me and defame me...just to be mean? I mean, what about the people who snipe behind my back and mock me...just because they're...um...jerks?

I'm messy. People make fun of me for that. I'm loud. I'm easily distracted (right now I'm thinking about lunch and snow as I'm typing this). I'm a bit insecure. All mockable traits. And I DO get mocked for these things (and others, I'm sure...).

But there's no blessing in it...

I guess I shouldn't get blessed for my faults...

No one seems to mind that I love Jesus - just that I'm a slob... Maybe I need to be more obnoxious about my faith...at least I can give 'em a GOOD reason to talk about me...

Usually I don't care what people say about me - unless it's those closest to me. Usually, criticism doesn't stick with me. Oh, it might change what I do (if it's CONSTRUCTIVE - which only about 25% is), but I don't tend to chew on it - or hold it against people...usually... But sometimes...

Oh well. Back to work...wouldn't want anybody thinking I'm not doing my job :)

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