W.A.I.T. Part 2: Enduring the Life of an Outcast

In this day and age, the goal for many people is to be well liked by many. Social networking sites, such as Facebook, seem to promote this concept. Everybody desires to have the most "friends" in order to improve their status amongst their peers. Even a song from the Broadway musical, Wicked, promotes this idea. The song "Popular" has the following lines:
Please--it's all about popular!

It's not about aptitude

It's the way you're viewed

So it's very shrewd to be 

Very very popular.

What I find to be difficult is that, as a Christian, we are called to follow the unpopular path of Jesus. We all strive to feel included, but following Christ might, on the surface, make it appear that nobody cares. What we all must realize, though, is that the love of God is all encompassing and much more important than the love of man. When put in perspective, having the everlasting God on my side is much more important than gaining favor with fallen humanity. People are not dependable and their opinions are skewed, so being popular in their eyes is not a good goal to strive towards. Instead, it is important to focus on the words found in John 15:18-21, which say,  "'If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: "A servant is not greater than his master." If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.'"

Instead of walking around in a despondent fashion because the world does not seem to understand you, it is better to embrace the role of the outcast. If Christ was hated, then it makes perfect sense that you and I will be hated by the world for promoting the Good News. Life as an outcast can be quite frustrating, so it is again important to focus on Scripture in order to be reminded of the eternal goal you are working towards. Colossians 3:23-24 serves as a good remember because it states, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Our goal is to glorify God and do His will so that we receive our reward in heaven, which is priceless compared to any earthly reward. Matthew 5:11-12 also reminds us about our heavenly reward ~  "'Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." 

It is a blessing to be insulted for following the path of Christ and not something to be downtrodden over. We must remember that being a Christian puts us on the same plain as our Master, which puts us out of favor with society. This means that life as an outcast is inevitable, and should be embraced and accepted, even if you yearn for acceptance. By accepting Christ in your heart and having faith in the Gospel, you gain God's favor, which trumps the acceptance of any human being. No human can provide you a spot in heaven, along with everlasting life, but God can do all of this for you.

I will leave you all with one last thought. Being a Christian not only provides you the life of an outcast, but it also paves the road for enemies to come into your life to try and tear you down. Your response to those who persecute you can illuminate where you are in your walk with Christ. Instead of stooping to the level of your enemies and hating them as they hate you, meditate on this verse from Matthew 5:44-46 ~ "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?" Loving your enemies can help to further glorify God and could help turn some skeptics towards Him if they begin to wonder why a social outcast can be so accepting of both their role and those who persecute them.