Choose the Way of Peace for Overcoming Rejection
If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Romans 12:18
There’s a difference between a peacekeeper and a peace maker. One keeps the peace at all costs, sacrificing standards and self-respect. The other knows that God’s peace can be carried within our hearts even when circumstances and situations attempt to disrupt it. Living in peace with others sometimes means walking in forgiveness and releasing offenses and leads us to overcoming rejection.
Check Your heart for Rejection and Favoritism Tendencies
My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the find clothing and say, ‘You sit here in a good place,’ while you say to the poor man, ‘You stand over there,’ or, ‘sit down at my feet,’ have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and becomes judges with evil thoughts?” James 2:1-4
Sometimes rejection happens because we play favorites, where we decide who gets our effusive acceptance and who does not. We will connect better with others and it’s okay to have a small circle of close friends. But when we dismiss someone because they don’t fit our standards, we’ve crossed a line that does not bring honor to the Lord.
Pray for others
But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Matthew 5:44
Extending love by praying for the one who hurt us helps us in overcoming rejection. This can feel impossible when our hearts shatter because of betrayal and rejection. Praying for our enemies helps us release the need for vindication and develops compassion for them. Compassion leads the way in overcoming rejection.
Imitate Jesus for Overcoming Rejection
And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil. 2 Timothy 2:24
We can study how Jesus responded to his enemies so that we can overcome rejection too. Jesus is the ideal person to imitate because he experienced humanness and everything that comes with yet, he did not sin. He prevailed while we flail. However, when we our heart desires to imitate the Lord, we can choose kindness and endurance.
Receive and Extend God’s Comfort
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves our comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Receive God’s comfort when you’re overcoming rejection so that you can comfort others. We do not live this life in a vacuum of isolation even though our pain and discomfort might tell us otherwise. Community is so important to the body of Christ because we can encourage one another, we can build each other’s faith, and we can testify about God’s faithfulness and comfort when hearts break. Our pain becomes treasure for others when we allow God to comfort us.
Remember God’s Love
I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued my faithfulness to you. Jeremiah 31:3
Overcoming rejection involves remembering that God’s love never ends. Rejection can trick us into believing that we are unlovable, especially when we seem to experience rejection often. When we don’t believe we are loved, it’s difficult to extend and receive love. But God loves us with a love that lasts—it never ends, it doesn’t diminish, and it doesn’t dismiss.
Check Your Motives
And whatever you do, in word of deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17
Checking our motives and submitting them to the Lord helps us in overcoming rejection. When we experience rejection, we can be tempted to reject others as payback. Maybe we want someone to know what it feels like, so we subconsciously choose behaviors that disregard another person. When we experience hurt and don’t address it, that pain gets expressed somehow. By inviting the Holy Spirit into the depths of our hearts and letting him sift our motives, our actions will align with God’s word, bringing him glory.
