Rejection

I have been reflecting a lot on the theme of rejection. Rejection is not being accepted by a person or group which you expected to be accepted by. Some of the most painful groups from which one can be rejected are family, church and peers. Such rejection is very painful and can have lifelong consequences.

People can be psychologically damaged from rejection. In terms of the interpretation of scripture on the matter, this kind of prolonged rejection can lead to a spirit of rejection gaining access to a person's life. It can become a stronghold from which the person can hardly escape. It can be devastating and can become a bulwark of obstruction in a person's life. Nonetheless, it is an ever-present reality which means that somehow we have to learn methods of overcoming rejection. We have to know how to beat this seemingly unassailable foe.

We have to remember that Jesus experienced a life of rejection. Even his brothers, his own family, at points, did not accept him. They did not believe in him and did not understand his ministry. The Jewish Society did not receive Jesus. He was rejected. The Bible said he came to his own and his own did not receive him {John 1:11}. This is rejection on a fairly broad scale because you're talking about an entire society on the whole. He came as a religious entity and a spiritual authority. So when the spiritual leaders and established religious community rejected you, that's huge. He was questioned, mocked, ridiculed; and he was never recognized as a respected authority on the matters on which he spoke.

All of these are signs of rejection. In a way the entire New Testament is predominantly about Jesus and then Paul. They are the central personas of New Testament theology. Paul is the second major figure in the foundation of the Christian church, and he was rejected as well. The ultimate rejection is when people not only mentally reject your teachings and ideals, but when rejection becomes physical and people stone you and beat you. Both Jesus and Paul were repeatedly beaten, ostracized, imprisoned and spat on. When you are spat on, I daresay you have seen one of the ultimate forms of rejection. It means you are despised and demeaned. The Bible said of Jesus that he was despised and rejected, a man of sorrow and grief {Isaiah 53:3-12}.

That's what Jesus and Paul experienced, and according to early church tradition, that is what all the apostles of Jesus went through. I wonder where Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was then? It seems they did not have the luxury of any such diagnosis or treatment recommendations. The experiences of Jesus and early believers should have warranted this disorder.

The prognosis should have been high levels of dysfunctionality among these people. The effect of each diagnosis of such should have rendered them devastated and ministerially dysfunctional. yet it didn't. One saint when writing to the Hebrew Christians had the audacity to ask, “Have you yet suffered to the point of the shedding of blood?" {Hebrews 12:4}.

We know that by the grace of God, they were not suffering from PTSD. They managed to surmount their circumstances and thrive in their work. To me, that's what Today's Christians have to accept. It is absolutely critical to a successful and effective walk that we too surmount our issues, the tensions that come our way, and the rejection that stares us in the face.

Rejection is a part of the Christian journey. In fact, part of the human Journey. There is hardly anyone who will never be rejected in some ways, and as a result we have to be able to understand how to resist the effects of it. We have to learn how to resist becoming immobilized, silenced and how to resist our minds being shattered inside of us because we're not accepted everywhere and by everyone.

Always remember, the servant is not greater than the master. Since they rejected me (Christ), they will reject you {John 15:20}.

Takeaway:

Rejection is a common human experience and especially believers ought to expect to be rejected from time to time. We have to function in spite of rejection.

Prayer:

Dear Lord,

Your word clearly shows me that you were rejected in your time, by your people. The sad truth is that even today, many all around the world still reject you and my own sinful actions have rejected you at times. Forgive me for the times I have rejected your truth and forgive me for expecting to be accepted by everyone. I embrace the cross of rejection and ask for your grace to carry it. Strengthen my mind to withstand the pressures of desiring acceptance and having to deal with rejection instead in Jesus' name, amen.