The Pursuit of Rejection

Jul 22, 2021

In Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount, He shares a variety of perspectives that flip the societal standards of that time on their head.

Jesus preached about a way of life that was “other;” one that shocked listeners 2000 years ago just as much as it shocks us today.

One of the verses that stands out to me from this sermon is Luke 6:22-23:

22 Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.

23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.

Fun, right? I don’t know about you, but I read this passage and can’t think of anything less appealing. Pastor Joel Thomas shared this past weekend that Jesus calls us to a pursuit of rejection. As an extroverted, outgoing, Two on the enneagram, quite literally NOTHING sounds worse to me. I don’t want rejection, I want to be accepted! Loved! Seen! I just want everyone to like me!

Can you resonate with that? Have you spent hours trying to be what someone else wanted? People-pleasing and sacrificing your needs in hopes of keeping the peace and making everyone your biggest fan?

The pursuit of acceptance is an addicting but incredibly empty life. We are living for people instead of our creator.

Dear friend, it is not a bad thing you want to be seen as successful, likable, or valuable. Of course, you do! We all have a beautiful innate desire to be seen and loved.

The desire is not wrong, but it is critical that we get the source of that affirmation right.

Whether you seek affirmation from people, money, social media, or some other idol, they all will inevitably fail us from time to time. Our source of confidence, affirmation, and security must be in Jesus Christ. He is the only unchanging source of stability and love we will ever find.

When we place the source of our confidence and security in Christ, it is then that we can live into the pursuit of rejection Jesus calls us to. Rather than trying to fit into what society, friends, or careers tell us is pleasing, we can boldly choose the “other.” With hearts completely sold out for Christ, the pursuit of rejection, while scary, becomes an exciting opportunity to stand out for Jesus. We boldly pick to skip Sunday morning brunches for church gatherings. We excitedly speak against negativity and gossip in our circles.

We act and love differently, because we are living for the cause of His kingdom, not afraid of the inevitable rejection of the world.

Obviously we are still called to be in the world and some level of connection to it opens up great opportunities for relationships with nonbelievers. I’m not advocating for complete isolation from all things secular. Even us “professional Christians” love a good Netflix rom-com or top 40 song. Rather than avoiding the world completely, we can listen to the Spirit’s guidance as we engage and disengage with the world as He sees fit. And the peace of God will affirm our choices that may confuse others, letting us accept rejection because we have the complete approval of our Father in heaven.

The pursuit of rejection is a non-linear lifelong process of consistently surrendering our idols and putting God back on the throne of our hearts. It requires us to be okay with being “other” and choosing the Kingdom of God above all else. Where in your life do you need to surrender today? Where are you pursuing an idol instead of Jesus? Where do you need to be okay with potential rejection?

Pray this prayer today:

Father, thank you that you are my unchanging source of love and security. Thank you for seeing me, knowing me, and choosing me every single day. God, forgive me for my consistent rebellion and pursuit of things of this world. Help me to choose you. Help me to pursue rejection in hopes of furthering your kingdom. I love you. Amen.