Rejection/Respect

Rejection: the state of being rejected

Respect: admire, think highly of

Many times when I ride a word will pop in my head and it becomes the title of my next blog. I’ve ridden several times since I last wrote. Sometimes when I get back its obvious what I’m being guided to ramble about, other times I’m unsure if I’m supposed to ramble at all or just reflect personally. This has been the case recently. These two words have been flying around in my mind and I wasn’t convinced until today that I was to share some thoughts on them.

Have you ever felt rejected? I’m sure most of us have felt that way at least once in our lives. I know personally when I’ve felt that way I’ve sometimes taken it very personally and it’s most likely one of the reasons why I tend to not get really close to too many people. Some people handle it better than others like anything else, and for some people it may really not bother them a whole lot at all. They just take it in stride and move on.

I will say that as I’ve gotten older I take this and many other things more in stride now. As I’ve been riding and reflecting on these words, it made me think about specific rejections we can experience. If we take the time to stop and analyze them, we might realize that when we thought WE were being rejected, it may have just been our idea or thoughts that were being rejected, not us personally. It may have even been that it wasn’t truly a complete rejection, but maybe the thought or idea just needed some fine tuning.

Have you ever been the one who did the rejecting? Were you rejecting the person or the idea? This is where respect comes in to play. If we don’t treat someone with respect as we reject a thought or an idea, it will come across more like we are rejecting the person. Don’t get me wrong, there are times I know when I’ve rejected a person, for good reason. There are also times when I’m sure I have come across harsher than I intended in rejecting an idea, and may have caused someone to feel as I was rejecting them instead.

We can reject a thought yet still show respect to the person. I guess sometimes, if it’s a subject that’s very near and dear to you, your passion for it can overshadow the need to also respect each other’s differences if we’re not careful. I know I’ve been guilty of this on occasion. I have had a passion all of my life for helping those considered as less fortunate, or troubled, or in need of some extra help. If there is any way I can make life easier or more meaningful to someone, I’m determined to do my best to help them. Sometimes this can be misunderstood or misinterpreted by some, but as long as we are doing it with the right heart and mindset I believe that’s ok.

Matthew 25:40 NIV

“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus, not just when it’s easy or convenient, but all of the time.

If you’ve read much of the Bible, you know He committed not even one sin, yet he was rejected and disrespected repeatedly.

Did this stop Him from loving anyone? No

Did it make Him give up on anyone? No

He never gives up on us, we give up on Him, on ourselves, and on each other.

He died on the cross for us, there is no greater love than that, and he did it even though He was rejected and disrespected.