when people look down on you

The Beatitudes

3 "God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,s
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
4 God blesses those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 God blesses those who are humble,
for they will inherit the whole earth.
6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,s
for they will be satisfied.
7 God blesses those who are merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
for they will see God.
9 God blesses those who work for peace,
for they will be called the children of God.
10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

11 "God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about yous and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers.12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

matthew 5

i just realized something new as i was reading this tonight. this whole passage seems as though Jesus is somehow comforting people who are in certain situations. i know that He was saying this to the disciples but it leaks over to us now. He's comforting those who are weak in spirit and are so weak, in fact, that they cry out that they need Him. He's comforting those that mourn, that cry, that let their true emotions flow. He's comforting the humble and the meek, the people who seek to put others in front of themselves. just starting to go through this list, we can start seeing the kind of people Jesus is comforting. pansies. losers. prudes, even! in our society, these people are looked down upon! "why are you not giving him a piece of your mind?? he backstabbed you!" "you don't want to see this movie?? wow, what a pansy! it's not that bad!" "what do you mean, you don't want to gossip??" i think we get this all the time, don't you? even from other people in "church." i never thought about this. Jesus is encouraging and comforting those who are actually trying to live out the faith because there's so much opposition in the world, especially in our own "churches." when Jesus says, "God blesses..." i don't think He's just saying, "if you do these things, God will bless you!" i think He's also saying, "if you're already doing these things for me, be comforted, God is blessing you!" i must admit, that i fall to what others think of me all the time. i want to fit in! but Jesus is saying, even when people make fun of you or think that you're too "extreme," count it being blessed because you're living for Christ. i want to encourage all the believers out there to keep on living for Jesus, despite all the opposition! you are not weird. you are not insane. at the same time, though, you are set apart. you are different. but be comforted, because God is smiling on you. =]