1 Peter 3:13-17

“Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.”

Generally, if you are passionately doing right, people will not fault you for it. Who would fault you for selflessness or humility? Who would be angry if you loved God? We would hope that no one would respond that way. And most fair minded people will not. In fact, they will respect you for it.

But it is also very likely that you will suffer for righteousness. It would be a blessing not to suffer, but it is also a blessing to suffer when you are suffering for doing right. When we face someone who means to harm us, we should face them without fear. I do not think that this means we need to be stoic. We should be willing to face our tormentors, not fearing them, knowing that our first duty is to honor Christ.

If we face trouble and are not troubled by it, people will notice. Perhaps someone will ask how we are able to make it through our trouble as we do. We should be ready to point them to Christ. We point them to Christ because that is where we are already looking and because He is why we are able to make it. But even in our response to such a question we must maintain the proper spirit so as not to cancel out our words with our actions. It would be a sad thing if you were doing right, were suffering for it, and were asked why you were enduring only to respond poorly. But how complete and sure your testimony would be if even in your response, you showed gentleness. Surely your conscience would be clear, and your attackers would be on exceedingly shaky ground.