Sometimes I find that I have family and friends who don't want anything to do with me because of my faith and my stand. Is it painful, absolutely! I find it very difficult that because of my personal choice to follow Jesus and try to be obedient to His word that others don't want to be around me or even consider me a friend. That family (meaning blood relatives) will "unfriend" me on Facebook and not talk to me. That relatives, friends and neighbors will avoid conversation with me. In fact there are those who won't even take time to know me because of what I believe. It breaks my heart and makes me cry inside that those I was close to once upon a time would avoid me and not respond to friendly gesture. I cannot begin to describe to you how that makes me feel. I think that is part of the reason Jesus said to count the cost. It can feel hefty at times, and in times like this even painful. It's not always easy to shrug off those feelings.
In times when I am feeling this more than others I have to remind myself that there is a cost to following Jesus. But the cost pales in comparison to the reward.
In Matthew 10:29-31 Jesus said...
“Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.
If your feeling like this is more than you can handle, hold on and don't grow weary. God has great rewards from you and I think that while those people want nothing to do with me I hope they at least respect me for being willing to stand for what I believe in, in a world that folds on their beliefs to be accommodating and accepted.
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