Overcoming rejection (1)

“You are precious and honored in my sight.” Isa 43:4 NIV

Jesus experienced rejection: “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (Jn 1:11 NKJV). But He didn’t sit around and lick His wounds; He moved on to where people gladly received Him. And He told His disciples, “Whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet” (Mt 10:14 NKJV). Repeated rejection tends to validate the fear that we are inadequate. This is particularly so when it comes to the opinions of those we place value on. But the irony in operating out of the fear of rejection is that it ultimately results in the very rejection you were trying to avoid. When people realize you hold yourself in low regard, they deal with you accordingly. You teach people how to value you by how much you value yourself. If you never express a preference, a boundary, or any other limitation on how others interact with you, they will assume you have none, and behave toward you in that manner. Notice, even though Jesus was rejected He never responded in a way that encouraged continued rejection. He didn’t stay where He was tolerated; He went to where He was celebrated. In other words, He went to where people recognized and received His person, His purpose, and His power. He had God’s full acceptance; therefore, He did not fear man’s rejection. And you have God’s full acceptance too. “You are precious and honored in my sight, and…I love you.” The first step to overcoming rejection is to keep God’s opinion of you in your mind at all times.

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