4. FOCUS ON THE CROSS

What about the fear of rejection and what other people will think of you? There is no way to be a real Christian and not experience rejection. In the ministry, sometimes people love you—sometimes they hate you. You think you have a loyal colleague only to find that when the newness wears off or the going gets tough, he tells you, “God is leading me elsewhere.” (And at times, that’s true.)

Those moments can be misunderstood by the uninformed who might tell you, “If you were in the will of God, how come ‘so and so’ left you?” It’s easy to justify yourself. I know. I’ve done that. But now I’m learning to just love, and always speak good of the other person, and commit what other people do or say to the Lord. Besides, time is on the side of love and truth. If you have done nothing to be ashamed of and another person lies about you, time and events have a way of vindicating.

Realize that you’re called to love—even if sometimes that love has to have the teeth of a corrective rebuke that may be misunderstood and used against you. It’s hard to quietly suffer rejection by another. It’s easy to want to get revenge. But the payment for getting revenge is too big a price to pay. No peace! A cold relationship with Jesus!

Instead, take a walk and sit down somewhere as if you’re at the foot of the cross. Then just look up into those loving, forgiving eyes as Jesus hangs there saying, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do,” (Luke 23:34). Measure everything you go through by what Jesus suffered (Hebrews 12:1-3) and your fears of rejection will be replaced by an acceptance and even an embracing of suffering. The key is to make sure you’re not suffering for some foolish or unkind word or deed you’ve done. And even if that’s the case, apologize and go on from there.