“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.”
– John 15:18
My human says there’s a saying people sometimes like to use:
“Haters gonna hate.”
I’m not exactly sure what a “hater” is, but I think I’ve met a few.
There’s the grumpy cat down the street who hisses at me every time I walk by—even though I’ve never done a single thing to him except wag my tail.
There’s the squirrel who scolds me from the oak tree like I personally invented barking.
And there’s the mailman. Now I’m still trying to figure out that relationship.
The point is, some folks just seem determined not to like you.
My human was reading from the Bible the other day and I perked up when he read these words from Jesus:
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first… If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” – John 15:18,20
Now that got my ears up.
Because if anyone ever lived a life full of kindness, love, healing, and helping… it was Jesus.
He fed hungry people.
He healed hurting people.
He welcomed the ones nobody else wanted.
And still… some people hated Him.
Which tells an old dog something important.
Sometimes people don’t dislike you because you’re doing something wrong.
Sometimes they dislike you because you’re doing something right.
Jesus told His followers that if they belong to Him, the world might not understand them. And when folks don’t understand something, they sometimes growl at it.
I understand growling.
Dogs do that too.
But here’s the thing I’ve noticed about my human:
When someone barks at him, he tries not to bark back.
Instead, he keeps trying to love people the way Jesus did.
Now I’ll be honest. That’s harder than ignoring bacon on the kitchen counter.
But that’s the path Jesus walked.
So when someone hisses like that neighborhood cat… or scolds like that squirrel… or just plain doesn’t like you for reasons you can’t figure out…
Remember what Jesus said.
If the world hated Him first, we shouldn’t be surprised when it happens to us.
But here’s the good news an old dog has learned:
You don’t have to join the barking contest.
You just keep following the Shepherd.
And keep wagging your tail.
Because haters might hate…
…but Jesus still loves.
And that’s the voice worth listening to.
Keep the Faith… Carpe Diem
