Glory Girlनमुना

Fear of Rejection

The fear of rejection is the root of the fear of not fitting in or being accepted. This is one that almost all of us struggle with in one way or another. I believe with all of my heart that if we let the truth of God’s Word spread out widely in our hearts, so much will change. So much will be healed. And we’ll move into every single day no longer scared about fitting in but ready to stand out.

So let’s go with the bad news first: You WILL be rejected. Yes, you will be rejected. Let’s rephrase that: you most definitely will be rejected. At some time, in some place, you’re not going to fit in or you’re going to feel left out. Someone or some large group of someones will not accept you. Why am I being so discouraging? 

Well, I pray this devotion is an encouragement instead of a massive downer as I let you in on the secret that most of our greatest fears in life are actually concerns that the Word of God confirms will happen.

It may be because you like Jesus too much. It may be because you’re too kind. It may be because you’re too pretty or too ugly in their eyes. Perhaps you were too smart or not smart enough. You might have said too much or said too little. You might not fit in because you did something wrong or because you refused to do something wrong. No matter what or how it happens, you’re in good company. This is what Jesus said about not fitting in:

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."—John 15:18-19 (NIV)

At the end of the day, this one isn’t really worth fearing because it IS going to happen. We ARE going to be rejected. We just get to decide how we’re going to act when it happens.

Jesus’ response to rejection was compassion, love, and moving on. He never yelled, “OH YEAH - YOU DON’T LIKE ME?!” at followers who turned away from Him. He had compassion for them.

Here’s the definition of compassion: a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.

So why feel compassion for someone who is being unkind to YOU? Well, the quick answer is this: someone was probably unkind to them. They may be insecure themselves and that’s why they’re rejected you. They may not know God, which is super sad for them. They may have only had friends who required them to fit in exactly so and now that’s what they expect.

There are a million different reasons, but they all end up with their heart not being a super warm and inviting place. And when they reject us, we can feel embarrassed or mad or angry, or we can stop and pray for them.

Is there someone in the past who has made you feel like you don’t fit in? Could you stop and pray for them now?