Dealing with Rejection

At some point in the past, present, or future, we have or will all face rejection. Whether it was a girlfriend or boyfriend who said, "It's not you, it's me," or a boss who said, "This isn't a good fit," rejection doesn't feel good no matter the circumstance. 

Imagine this scenario: you meet Jesus in person, He gives you a particular mission to accomplish, He empowers you by His spirit to do it, and then you share the message of the Gospel in the boldness that only God can supply. Then as soon as you meet other believers, they reject you because of who you used to be and what you used to do. 

How would you respond? What would you say?

Check out this passage in Acts 9:

26 When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he had truly become a believer! 27 Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus and how the Lord had spoken to Saul. He also told them that Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus. 28 So Saul stayed with the apostles and went all around Jerusalem with them, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He debated with some Greek-speaking Jews, but they tried to murder him. 30 When the believers heard about this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus, his hometown. 31 The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord. And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers. 

I appreciate how Barnabas accepted Saul for who he was, not who he used to be. I think there is a lesson that we can all learn from that. Barnabas allowed Saul to be himself, flaws and messed up past included. We can sometimes pass judgment on others for what they have done in their past all the while expecting them to give us the room to grow and not define us by our past mistakes. 

Who are you rejecting because of who they were in the past or because of what they have done? Are we giving people the room necessary to let them flourish into the creatures God has created them to be? Who in your life could use a Barnabas?