Handling Haters
Scripture - Mark 3:1-6
The truth is, we will all deal with haters at some point in our lives. It's just the way the world is set up. You know what I mean by haters, right? Those who don't like you whether they have a reason or not, those who are jealous of you, those who wish you would fail, those who secretly wish they were you so they do all they can to discredit you, and those who just don't understand or even try to understand you. Yeah, just like Jesus you will have those types of people in your life. The question is... how are you going to handle your haters?
Jesus gave us a great example in today's passage. He simply addressed their issue with Him then proceeded to do what He was placed on this earth to do (Luke 4:18-19).
The bottom line is you can't worry about your haters - what they think or even what they will do. Your only job is to do you. That is, keep being yourself and doing what God has called you to do. That's it.
When you take your eyes off your purpose and put them on the naysayers, you lose focus. When you begin to worry about what others will think or say, you operate out of fear. Imagine if Jesus was afraid of what people thought of Him?
Thanks be to God Jesus wasn't afraid of His haters, and neither shouldn't be afraid of yours! God has not given you a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7). Besides, the only opinion you should care about is God's opinion and no one else's.
Oh, and get this! The people who were "hating" on Jesus in today's Scripture we're church folks (v. 1). The Bible says they were waiting and watching, in the synagogue, to accuse Him of any wrongdoings (v. 2).
The sad truth is, even in the church you will find some haters. But don't become offended because when you do, you'll begin to operate in what's called "church hurt" and eventually you'll either shut down or you'll perpetuate hurt. Learn how to deal with offense whether it's in the church or not. Let go, let God, pray for your offenders (Luke 6:27-28; Matthew 5:43-45), and focus on your ultimate purpose. The bottom line is, you're here to please God, not man.
Journal
- Have you ever dealt with haters before? If so, how did you handle it?
- What could or would you have done differently?
- How can you ensure in the future that you won't become offended if someone tries to "hate" on you?
- If you're dealing with any hurt in your heart because someone did or said something to hurt you, pray and give it over to God today (1 Peter 5:7). Ask Him to heal both you and your offender. After all, hurt people hurt people.
This is what I say to all who will listen to me: love your enemies, and be good to everyone who hates you. -Luke 6:27, CEV
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