Here’s something to remember when the taunting begins…
A couple of months ago, Elon Musk and his team at SpaceX decided to send their most powerful payload vehicle into space (click here to read about it!) and everyone in the world were so excited. Well, almost everyone. I was surprised to see the spiteful tweets that some had sent across! It got me thinking, whether you are a common man or a multi-millionaire, you are bound to have a bunch of haters throwing whiffs of criticisms or nasty remarks that may rub you off the wrong way.
It’s not worth it to keep running away from them. Nor is it wise to confront them and tell them candidly how you feel about them when all they wish is for you to be beat down by their critique and to see you hurling down below. As a Christian, you are bound to have haters at some point in your life (John 15:18,19). They could be at your workplace, within the family or from your peers. So, how do you deal with them as a child of God yet maintain your own integrity?
They create a ruckus in your life be it in your spiritual growth, your career or simply play with your emotions. To get into the psychology of a hater is beyond the scope of this article so I will just focus on what we can do to alleviate their stings. I know it’s hard to deal with their taunts and gossips let alone their mockeries but worry not, its not the end of the world! It all depends upon how you learn to boost your spiritual immunity to deal with them better.
Here are 4 things to remember when dealing with them:
1. They can’t steal your sunshine!
Remember, you are in complete control of your emotions. If you allow your mood to go sour over a humiliating experience or a bitter conversation, then you will often find your emotions controlling your thoughts based on your circumstances leaving you hurt and resentful most of the time.
“…looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.”
Hebrews 12:15 (NKJV)
Try not to be impulsive when they mistreat you. James 2:19 says, “…let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath”. Always take a step back and think of the situation and its consequence if you retort to their statements. And never take your temper on your loved ones or allow this issue to ruin your entire day. Your mood is not dependent on your circumstances but as a child of God you are inherently filled with the joy of the Lord (Nehemiah 8:10). Bad days happen to everyone but it is up to you to decide whether it determines how the rest of your day goes. You can sit around forlorn and recall the whole episode just to get more and more even or you can learn to re-tune your senses. This is the hard part but it’s worth giving a shot. Spend some time in prayer almost immediately after the event and ask God to help you deal with the issue. Also, when you are in a situation with the person and you feel hurt, try to slip in a silent prayer asking God for help. Your prayer can be as short as “Lord, help!”.
2. Don’t complain about them!
In the spur of the moment, you may be tempted to complain to your friend or colleague to simply let out your exasperation about your offender and how horrible your day has been because of that person. It could be a dangerous move if you are not sure whether you can trust your colleague not to gossip about your tiff with the person. Moreover, you may impulsively use words out of sheer anger and hatred which may be regretted later on.
On the other hand, talking about it to a trustworthy friend who may help you get some spiritual insight is good. But what is preferred is to be done first is to seek God’s help. Don’t forget to ask for forgiveness towards your offender no matter how tough it feels to do so. It feels so much better when you submit yourself and everything else that happened unto God. God will fill you with His abundant grace and peace.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God
Philippians 4:6,7 (NKJV)
3. God is your vindicator!
As Christians we know that this holds true in our lives. It can’t be in any other way. You are not the one vindicating your cause but God! Why? Because He does a far better job than any one of us! It’s not a Christian’s job to cook up plans to get back at the offender. Maybe this might mean that you need to wait for His time. And that requires patience. He may be teaching you patience. But eventually, when you submit your offender(s) into God’s hands, you are allowing Him to take over. And by this I do not mean you must vehemently pray that the offender gets punished but you must pray to God to handle this situation as you are unable to do so by yourself.
4. Jesus loves the haters
Yup. And we should too. Tough one, right? After all, He died on the cross for ALL sinners and that includes your haters too. He exhorted us to love our enemies and pray for them. In fact, once upon a time we happen to be the haters of Jesus nailing Him to the cross of Calvary that ultimately saved us from perishing eternally. So, if Jesus could forgive us at the time of such excruciating torment, we must be of His same mind (Philippians 2:5). You will never know what happens when you pray for your enemies. As it may turn out, they might just repent and become a child of God. And it could be a result of your prayers.
So, keep in mind the above 4 points and be at ease:
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28 (NKJV)
God bless!