Praise for opposition

How lovely it is to be loved, to be among those who adore, admire, and understand us!

How devastating it is to be among those who revile, misunderstand, and rebuke us!

Jesus told us to be happy when we are persecuted for loving Him.

There's something about persecution that helps a believer either cling to her faith or leave it. We humans love the herd mind. We like being part of the herd. We have a fear of not belonging. The Bible says falling into this "fear of man" is a snare to us. In order to fit in, we lose our edge, we fall away from ourselves, we fall away from God.

Bad enough we tangle with atheists and the world, we also encounter opposition among friends and among our fellow believers. The truth is there will always be opposition. But let us consider that opposition as our path of soulmaking. We become who we are by what we stand for and what we fall for.