Rejection isn’t comfortable for anyone, but some people deal with it better than others. No one will make it through life without experiencing rejection in one form or another. What makes the difference between one person who lets rejection devastate them and another who takes it in stride?

There are several definitions of rejection. One is to refuse to accept something that is offered. Another is to discard something as unacceptable. The difference in the two people lies in which one of these interpretations they use to explain why the rejection occurred.

I was leading a meeting for a support group years ago. It was the leader’s responsibility to choose a topic for discussion, and I picked rejection. During the business portion of the meeting, I made a proposal that I thought would solve a problem the group was dealing with. It was rejected by the entire group. I was being tested in my ability to handle rejection. It made the topic discussion interesting!

When something you offer is rejected, what do you think? Do you tell yourself that you are unacceptable and less valuable as a result? Or do you tell yourself that someone has a different opinion than you and that everyone has a right to refuse what is offered to them? Do you tell yourself that you are devastated and cannot handle the rejection or that it is uncomfortable, but you can survive?

What you tell yourself will determine how you handle the rejection. Not everyone will like you, want to be your friend, or agree with you. It is impossible. You don’t like everyone, want to be everyone’s friend, or agree with everyone. We all have our opinions, preferences, and likes. One person’s rejection of you in some way has no reflection on your worth, unless you tell yourself that it does. The next time someone disapproves of you or rejects something you have offered, remind yourself that it doesn’t mean you are any less valuable. It is just another opinion that is not a reflection of your worth as a person. If you do, you will be able to view it differently and let go of it rather than be devastated.

By Karla Downing
 

Relationship Devotional Prayer

 
God,

Help me to deal with rejection as Jesus did. He recognized that people had their own agendas and had a right to their opinions. He didn’t let it throw him off track or devastate him.
 

Relationship Devotional Challenge

• Look at rejection as just someone else’s opinion rather than as a measure of your self-worth and value as a person.

Scripture Meditation

 
Mark 8:31-33

“He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. ‘Get behind me, Satan!’ he said. ‘You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns’” (NIV).