Born Hated

As I drove along the freeway a few days back, I couldn't help but stare at the sticker on the rear window of the truck in front of me.

"BORN HATED"

I thought to myself, "that's a sad sticker." 

(I don't like being unliked!)

But then quickly a thought came to mind. That sticker WAS applicable to me!
The Lord brought scripture after scripture to mind; reminding me of the truth that at my first birth I was hated. I had an enemy who wanted nothing more than to take me out and thwart God's wonderful plans for my life. 

Genesis 3:14-15

"The Lord God said to the snake, 

    "Because you did this, 

       a curse will be put on you. 

       You will be cursed as no other animal, tame or wild, will ever be. 

    You will crawl on your stomach, 

       and you will eat dust all the days of your life.

  I will make you and the woman 

       enemies to each other. 

    Your descendants and her descendants 

       will be enemies. 

    One of her descendants will crush your head,
and you will bite his heel."

The enemy did have his way in my life for quite some time!

But God...( I love those two words together!) But God took ahold of me and I finally received His truth and His promises! 

With that being said, how much more hated was I at my second birth? 

Jesus said repeatedly in the gospels that we would be hated! Click on the scriptures below...
Matthew 10:22
Mark 13:13
Luke 21:17
John 15:18

This really spoke to me about my attitude where pleasing people comes before pleasing God. I do have an enemy, and he loves to use my weaknesses against me! But the scriptures are also FILLED to the brim with promises of an Almighty God who loves me and has my very best intentions in mind! He loves me!!

I was born hated! But I am also loved and planned in advance; I am loved eternally by the one whom matters the MOST! The Bible talks about over and over how much God loves us. {loves me :) }
That gives me hope!

Romans 8:15-17 says "This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?" God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what's coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we're certainly going to go through the good times with him!"


I love this reminder that although I will be hated in this world, it's not the worst thing that could happen. I need to expect it and push past that. I have an inheritance that can not be taken away. (Oh, and I can love the unlovable! It's a choice!) 

So I leave you with this truth:

1 John 4:19

We love Him, because He first loved us