“Defying a Culture of Rejection” – Lisa Bevere

⁵ having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, ⁶ to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

⁷ In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace Ephesians 1:5-7 NKJV

He was despised and rejected—
    a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
    He was despised, and we did not care. Isaiah 53:3 NLT

To belong and be accepted is one of the top human needs. In fact, in ranks as #3 out of the top 10.

The problem with us imperfect human beings is that when we come into contact with other imperfect human beings, there’s a huge possibility that we will have a collision when there are a differing of opinions. Our differences are what we should be celebrating, not bashing. Our differences actually make life more interesting and colorful. However, you and I both know, when we are met with criticism or rejection, we take it to a whole new level and misinterpret the ‘rejection of opinion or belief’ as rejection of us as a person and who we are.

That’s enough to rock anyone’s world. Been there?

Jesus was there — a lot. His own family thought he had lost His mind. The religious leaders of His day declared Him evil. Even His closest friends questioned some of His actions. So, you can say, “He gets us.” Because He’s been there.

In spite of all that, Jesus still went to the Cross. He still believed that we were all worth the sacrifice. That always leaves me jaw-dropped.

Jesus felt that you (I) were worth the suffering. And once we wrap our minds around that fact, we will begin to live out who we truly are in Him. Sweet Friend, when we finally take Jesus at His Word and begin to walk in the light of our true identity, we lose the bonds that hold us stuck in our fear of being rejected by humans. That strangulation that keeps you fearful of not being good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, (in my case, tall enough), talented enough, creative enough … go ahead and add your own ______________________________ … it will lose it’s power over you, because it won’t matter to you.

I say these things because I had to make the decision to believe that I am accepted by Him — even when those around me don’t. And even if it’s just a rejection of opinion, I don’t allow myself to go down the drain with that rejected opinion. Let that sit with you for a moment. And when you start to live it out, it’s quite empowering.

¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you. Psalm 139:17-18 NIV

Pull up a seat at the table and listen to this powerful conversation. Yes, you will walk away with a renewed sense of confidence, but more than that, you will walk away with Biblical truths that will outlive your feelings (which will change from one breath to the next) and give you strength to keep growing into the strong woman you were meant to be.

I love you to Heaven and Back, Girlfriend ~

LindaRJohnson, TitusTwo Visionary

*Thank you to Joyce Meyer Ministries | Talk It Out Podcasts | Lisa Bevere