‘You are precious and honoured in my sight.’Isaiah 43:4 NIVUK
Jesus experienced rejection. The Bible says: ‘He came to his own people, and even they rejected him’ (John 1:11 NLT). But instead of letting their rejection hurt Him, He moved on to where people happily received Him. And He told His disciples, ‘If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message, shake its dust from your feet as you leave’ (Matthew 10:14 NLT). When we’re rejected, it can make us believe the fear that we’re inadequate in some way, or not good enough. And we’re especially vulnerable when we’re rejected by someone whose opinion we value. The problem is that when we start to act on that fear by lowering our opinion of ourselves, others can pick up on that and may begin to think of us as low value. When we don’t set boundaries, or express preferences, or set any other limitations on how we’ll allow others to treat us, they’ll assume we don’t mind how they behave towards us. So let’s look at Jesus’ example: even though He was rejected, He never responded in a way that encouraged that rejection to carry on. He didn’t stay where He wasn’t wanted; He went to where He was welcomed. He went to where people recognised and received Him, His purpose, and His power. He knew he had God’s full acceptance, so He understood His value and didn’t fear others’ rejection. And we have God’s full acceptance too. ‘You are precious and honoured 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. What Now? Is there a relationship in your life that always leaves you feeling rejected or undervalued? Ask God if it’s a relationship that you need to walk away from.
