Haters Gonna Hate

Lately, I have been working through issues of self-confidence and God-confidence. I'm torn because I want to be liked and accepted by my peers but I also want to be myself and be bold in my love for God. I mean, what girl doesn't want to be prom queen? I feel like i'm in the running for prom queen, all the time! If I don't say the right thing to the right person they might not vote for me. I don't agree with what people are doing but i'm going to go along with it because that's the cool thing to do. Now, i'm not talking about high school prom, i'm talking about real life prom, and i'm over it.

I'm a hairstylist so I talk to a lot of people. Some have the same beliefs as me, some have the same interests and some I have nothing in common with. God has put some of these people in my life to build me up and give me encouragement for which I am so grateful. There is one thing that stays constant in every situation; I have to opportunity to share my love for God with every one of these people! What a perfect situation God has put me in. The problem is Jesus said some pretty controversial things and I don't want to rock the boat. The gospel isn't very popular in my sphere of influence and I want people to like me. I HAVE to be prom queen.

So if God wants me to bring his kingdom everywhere I go, I have to be okay with not being the most popular person. When people have a problem with God, they hate everyone and everything that reminds them of Him.  If people like what I say and  I win prom queen, that's a bonus! God has so much more to offer us than the world does. He is offering us the greatest life on earth and eternal life, so why isn't that enough? For me, I am working on really understanding what God thinks of me. I feel like if I see what he sees and I can accomplish more for him. Not everyone has this struggle but I know a lot of people that do. So this is my conclusion.

John 15:18-21
18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’[a] If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.

What ever we are going through, we need to remember that Jesus went through the same thing on Earth. People literally HATED him so much they killed him. And i'm worried about being popular? I'm not saying it's a silly struggle i'm just trying to put it in perspective.

I want this to be an encouragement to me and you. If people don't like what you have to say it's because they have issues to workout with God not you. So we can go on with life, bringing His kingdom and encouraging those around us with the love of Christ. Ultimately, I want people to notice the light of Jesus streaming out of me not just my pretty hair or cool shoes. I'm not there yet but hey, it's a journey!