What do you do?  As someone who has tried to always be kind and show love towards others, it’s very hard on me when someone stays angry with me or dislikes me.  It’s something that can really affect self-confidence, assurance and self-image.  One of the biggest reasons people have so many emotional problems these days is, I believe, a poor self-image and a lack of love for others.

For so long I let what others thought of me affect my own happiness.  At one point, I was hurt so badly by someone, that I separated myself from the world and became very introverted.  If you all have seen any of my recent videos, you know that this is definitely NOT who I am.  But the Lord has a funny way of pulling us out of our hiding spots, and sometimes we don’t even realize that He is doing it.

I decided not long ago, that I could hide in forums but still connect with people.  And that led to the decision to start a blog, and hide from the world behind it.  God has such a sense of humor.  I never imagined my blog would get this big, or that I would make so many real connections with real people.

In the process of my hiding, though, God made me face rejection and people not liking me. Most of you probably don’t realize this, but bloggers get a lot of criticism and sometimes very hurtful comments from people.  In the beginning, sometimes a random comment would bring me to tears because I had still not dealt with my fear of rejection.  There were situations where I would be upset for days, and I would have to turn to God for comfort and strengthening. Which is what He wants right? When we hide from others and the world, who are we really hiding from?

So I started drawing back to God, and began facing these situations.  Granted, most of the time these comments or emails would just be deleted with no response given.  I’ve found that to be the best way to handle someone that wants to be mean.  But mentally and emotionally I faced it, dealt with it and moved forward.  You know what I found out?  That each time I did this, it became easier.  Instead of being an emotional wreck for 2-3 days, I got it down to one day.  Then I noticed I wasn’t becoming that emotional wreck anymore.  I was still getting upset, but it was only lasting a few hours.  While I’m still not where I need to be, I plan on continuing to draw close to God so that He can help me be at the place I need to be.

So when people say hurtful things, hate you or abuse you what do you do?  Besides contacting the authorities if you are being physically abused…

You turn to God, face your fears and slowly begin to change for the better. Don’t hide.  I did, and it was miserable.  But even if you refuse to stop hiding, God will eventually pull you out.  Why not make it sooner, rather than later?