Read: Luke 4:14-30

In Luke 4:24, Jesus warns us that when we live life God's way, we will not be accepted by everyone. Anyone who has ever been the odd one out in a crowd, can understand how that may feel.

In fourth grade, I moved from Aiken, S.C., to New York City. We lived in Harlem, a part of Manhattan known for its African-American and Latino roots. I am known for my pale, white skin. Immediately I stuck out like a sore thumb. It’s hard to get anyone to see past the surface. When I began school in Harlem, I was known as “that white girl.”

Jesus knew how it felt to be labeled. He had always been known as “the carpenter’s son.” He was mocked and ridiculed when He tried to get people to see past the label to who He really is: the son of God, the Messiah. Jesus taught us many lessons about life, but one of my favorites is to never allow what people think of you to overshadow God’s purpose for you. People in Jesus’s hometown were ready to throw Him off a cliff, but “he walked right through the crowd and went on his way” (Luke 4:30).

Just like I felt weird in Harlem because I was a different race, we may not be accepted by others when we follow Jesus. When we make decisions based on "love God, and love others" our lives will look drastically different. Don’t give up! The reward for our faithfulness is an abundant life in which we get to see God doing amazing things for us and through us, both here and into eternity.