Rejections and Disappointments are Part of the Training Regimen in God's Gym….

I can remember, when I was a boy, waiting to be chosen on a team when in the neighborhood, or schoolyard, we played some kind of a team game. I was not a particularly gifted athlete, and so I was rarely chosen in the top few. I remember how that felt. I also remember, in my early teen years, having a “crush” on a girl and being snubbed by her. And then being laughed at by others when they found out.

What I did not realize at the time was that God was actually doing me a big favor. I’m 58 years old now, and somehow I managed to forge a reasonably successful life for myself, in spite of those experiences as a boy. Girls who turned me down went on with their lives, and I went on with mine. I was never turned down for a job, or for membership in an organization that I wanted to be a part of, due to them. I never had a prospective employer say to me, “You know, I’d love to hire you, but word on the street is that when you were about 10 years old you were often the last one chosen for pick-up basketball games. So we just can’t use you here.”

Those kinds of experiences, those disappointments, are like adding additional layers to the metal of one’s character. Recovering from them strengthens the soul, the mind, the heart. They are invaluable experiences for anyone who wants to follow Jesus Christ. Jesus said in Scripture that His disciples would be hated because of His name. They would be scorned, ridiculed, persecuted, and some would be handed over for death.

Now consider prospective discipleship for Christ without ever having these kinds of experiences. You’ve never had a disappointment, a rejection. You say you want to follow Christ, but when others ridicule you or end a friendship because of your fidelity to Christ, how would you react?

Jesus actually talks about this in Scripture in the Parable of the Sower. He mentions those who accept the Word of God with joy, but come a persecution and they’re gone with the wind.

Jesus said those who disown Him before men He will disown before His Father. You have to ask yourself the honest question (be honest with yourself): Do I care more about what Jesus thinks of me, or do I care more about what my peers/friends/family/etc. think of me? Is my relationship with Christ more important or not as important as those in my everyday human life?

No one likes to be ridiculed, and no one likes to be laughed at, and no one likes to be excluded. But how much is inclusion/popularity worth to you?

You see politicians selling out their faith all day long. You see it in the business world, where someone pretends to be your friend and then steps on you on his way up the ladder.

I’m grateful for the negative experiences I had in my early life because they steeled me for what would come as an adult. If I am ridiculed or excluded from others due to my fidelity to Christ, well, I’m familiar with the feeling. I know it will pass.

And even if it doesn’t, this life is temporary. When I leave this world, I want to be with Christ. I want to be with Him because I have experienced Him, and I cannot wish for anything else. I want to be in Heaven not just for all of the “goodies” people imagine will be there. I want to be with God. I want to spend my eternity loving and serving Him in His kingdom.

What about you?

Consider.