“If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.” John 15:18
All my life I have felt called by God to write. As a teenager, I was part of the newspaper staff at my church groups. In high school, I wrote the stories that would go in the Yearbook. As a young mom, I wrote for “La Voz Católica.” And about ten years ago, I created a blog where I have poured my heart and soul allowing the Holy Spirit to guide me.
This year, I was invited to apply to write for Catholic365, a larger platform with many followers. I thought it was a dream come true because I have a burning desire to serve God and Him alone through my writings, which means spreading His message of love to as many people as possible. I had high expectations, but unfortunately, the reality has been very different. I have come to realize that I’m swimming in shark-infested waters. I have encountered human misunderstanding, criticism and judgment.
After all the negative comments on my posting about Pope Francis, I was very tempted to tell God: “Writing for this critical world is not what I bargained for. I never thought it would be like this. This is not what I signed up for. If I had known it would be this painful, I would never have accepted this invitation. You must forgive me God, but I want out. I will not serve You this way. I’m sure You can use me somewhere else.”
I have been praying a lot, and I have been receiving a lot of messages of support from my prayer communities. One of my Emmaus sisters sent me a 3-minute Ignatian retreat. The message I got from it was that the light of faith is a gift from God, and this light needs to be shared with others. Faith is my light which will guide my way and my words. Jesus’ love triumphed over death, and no matter what others think or say, my job is to trust Him and spread His love.
This morning, I went for a walk on my own. I prayed the rosary, and I listened to this song by Chris Tomlin: Our God
Our whole purpose in this life should be to obey God, and trust Him no matter what obstacles we encounter. After reading the 3-minute retreat, and listening to the song, I realized that God needs me to write, in spite of the negative criticism, and judgmental comments of just a few. As the song says: “If our God is for us, then who could ever stop us? And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?”
God needs me to spread His message of love, and He will deliver it to those that need to hear it. Yes, in the mix there may be some that don’t want to hear it, and they will scream and complain, but I’m not writing for praise, I’m writing for Him. He has a goal and a purpose, and even though I may not understand it completely, my job is just to obey Him.
Jesus said to His disciples, “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first” (John 15:18). I should actually feel joy because it means that if they despise me, I must be following in Jesus’ footsteps. Jesus prayed for His persecutors. I will pray for those that criticize me, but I will not let them stop me. I will persevere in spite of the obstacles. I will continue writing for Catholic365 for as long as He needs me. And may all the fruits be for His Greater Glory.
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