~Rejoice

This morning I was reading in Luke 6 and came across some verses. Quite frankly they make me uncomfortable.
Luke 6:22-23
"Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.
Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets."
I don't like the idea of people not liking me. I really don't like the idea of people hating me. I try to get along with everyone. To act in such a way that I am liked. But here Jesus said you are blessed when they hate you, when they run your name through the mud, when they put you away from themselves; for Jesus' sake. He doesn't even stop there. We are also to rejoice when it happens! And leap for joy! The last thing you feel like doing when people are persecuting you is rejoice. But that doesn't change the command.
Why rejoice though? I believe because rejoicing takes you into God's presence. And in doing that you have to see that God has a bigger plan. That He is allowing it for a reason. Also, it sets us apart as different. People expect you to be angry, to retaliate when they do something to hurt you. What a witness you can be when you turn away from the hurt, the pain, and the shame, and just rejoice. If you can allow God to help you do that, I believe He will also give you a heart to love, even the people who are hurting you.
So is this really about you, or is it about them?