trbccoffeebreak

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  John 3:16

“I know exactly what we should do,” flowed from my lips. Faced with a challenging situation, we brainstormed for hours  Mentally exhausted, we were ready to call it a day. Until those words echoed from my mouth declaring I had the best solution. Hate to admit it but I was the only one who thought it was the perfect answer.

Rejection is not our fave place. No one wants to think they’ve got it all figured out only to find others don’t agree. No one wants to experience the pain of not being accepted. No one wants to be ignored, cast aside or silenced. No one wants to hear that what they are doing doesn’t measure up. Yet it happens every day.

While rejection is an unavoidable occurrence, we can learn to navigate it well. One of those ways is to realize not everyone will agree with us or like our ideas  – simply put don’t take it personally. While someone may bomb on our suggestion, it could spark a solution they hadn’t even entertained.

Let’s take it a little deeper….I recently watched a characterization of Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews  In this pivotal scene, Nicodemus comes face to face with the Messiah – Jesus.

“Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with Him,” echoed from Nicodemus’ lips (John 3:”2b).

Curiosity and intrigue drew Nicodemus into an intimate conversation as Jesus welcomed every question (John 3). As this scene played out, Nicodemus wrestled with his desire to follow Jesus versus remaining comfortable as a prestigious Pharisee. So many seeds planted, yet the story ends and we are left wondering if Nicodemus rejected the gospel or eventually accepted Jesus as his Savior.

Rejection, yes it’s a heavy word…..but even in the midst of rejection, we don’t know what God is doing underneath the surface. Some scholars believe that Nicodemus was “a secret disciple whose faith grew slowly.”  He also defended Jesus when other Pharisees spoke against Him and sought to have Jesus arrested (John 7:50-52). And the final mention of Nicodemus is found in John 19 after the death of Jesus.  Nicodemus brought about 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes to prepare Jesus’ body for burial – enough to bury a king royally. Such an extravagant expression of spices showed Nicodemus’ great appreciation of Jesus.

All the wrestling, questioning and pondering of one prestigious man reminds us that even in the face of rejection seeds are planted. Wow …..totally gives me a renewed compassion for those who don’t know Jesus yet but are contemplating and searching. The war within – flesh and spirit, dark and light. Thousands of reasons never to stop praying and to patiently entertain open dialogue even if it appears rejection is staring us in the face.

Sweet friends, who in your sphere of influence has totally rejected the God you love and serve? Don’t lose heart…..they may be one more step closer to faith than you ever imagined.

“Father help us to share Your love consistently with others and never give up. Rejection may be what we hear, but it doesn’t have to be the end of their story.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life