Jesus was the forerunner for Christianity and He was the perfect model for persecution, as He was persecuted, to His death. He had people falsely accusing Him constantly, but always would forgive, as that was in His nature. He also was the definition of (agape) love. Agape love is the highest, most pure form of love as a choice, not out of attraction or obligation. I am so grateful that the Father of love chose me to follow Him and has shown me the unconditional love of a Father, a truth that never ceases to amaze me. Once you find Truth, you can not walk away, as it has completely transformed your life and you would never walk away from it, unto death (just as Jesus did).
Being a first generation Christian has its benefits, but also has its challenges. You are the black sheep of the family. You didn’t just decide to just blindly follow what you grew up in. You saw life from a different perspective and chose a different path. You went a different way. You also now have a magnifying glass on your life and people watch you closely, how you carry yourself, what you say and even what you don’t say. Life can be hard when you don’t conform to the patterns of this world, but you choose something different. When I first became a believer, it was h a r d. There were many things that happened that I do not wish to make public, but it was the roughest season of my life. But, I grew so close to my Heavenly Father who never let me go, or abandoned me. In fact, I physically felt that agape love when He put His arms around me telling me to trust Him. After that refining season, beauty and strength came, and its something that enabled me to have a boldness today that I otherwise would not have.
Jesus is always our model and although He was the d e f i n i t i o n of love, He still called things out that weren’t right. He spoke to the pharisees and said: Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? (Matthew 23:33) and also overturned tables (Matthew 21:12). He always called things out that weren’t part of of the truth, as He knew the heart of His Father and obeyed everything He asked Him to do. He didn’t follow the crowd, He seemed to continually speak truth, although it was different than the majority. He didn’t hold back to have a false peace in His life, but faced persecution continually for what He did and said.
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)
Sometimes, Holy Spirit Speaks to me, and I simply obey what He says to say. I don’t always think about the repercussions of how people would react because that doesn’t matter, only what matters is obedience. Since becoming Christian, I have had many times in my life where I say or write things, and then get accused of too many things to list here, sometimes its hard, and sometimes its not, but at the end of the day, I am standing for truth and not going to compromise that to please man. As a woman, I do sometimes get emotional and cry and am hurt. But, when I take it to my Father, who understands me more than any human, then there is no room for hurt, because I am already dead (my flesh). Through Him only, I can forgive those who hate me, even if it’s the people closest to me.
For more: I wrote a book that you can find here: https://walkingwiththelion.com/product/from-hinduism-to-christ/
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:10