Rejection
“How do you handle rejection?”
It was an honest question. Being the smart *ss that I am, I went for the laugh with my answer.
“Badly.”
Witty. Sarcastic. And completely true.
Because my standard response to rejection involves replaying it over and over. Trying to figure out why they rejected me, what I could have done differently, and why I always do this to myself (both getting rejected and replaying it).
Getting stuck in a moment that I didn’t like the first time. And (as an added bonus) making myself feel awful in the process. “Badly,” as it turns out, is pretty accurate.
Why? Because I’ve fallen for one of the classic life traps. Without really meaning to, I’ve chained my opinion of myself, my well-being, to what other people say and do.
What makes this trap easy to fall into is that it lies so close to one of the wisest things we can do in response to mistakes and rejections – giving ourselves an honest and compassionate review. So that we don’t repeat our mistakes. Making sure that we’re following the will of God, that we’re fulfilling our purpose.
But instead of focusing on whether what we did actually should have been rejected (because it was a mistake, because we were off course), we get stuck in our feelings about it. Because rejection hurts.
So how should we respond? Jesus shows us in today’s Gospel, by how He responds to being rejected.
Jesus and the disciples are headed to Jerusalem. Jesus is following the will of God. Fulfilling His purpose.
When they’re rejected by one of the villages on the way? The disciples are hurt. They’re angry.
And they respond in a way that is all to familiar for most of us. They lash out. They want to get back at the people who rejected them.
But not Jesus. Jesus checks the rejection against what God has called Him to do. Using it as a moment to make sure that He is still fulfilling His purpose. Letting the rejection serve its only useful role.
And then? Jesus keeps doing what God has called Him to do.
Without ever responding to the people who rejected Him.
After using the rejection to check His course, to make sure that He’s still following the will of God. Jesus doesn’t get upset at the people who rejected Him, much less try to get back at them.
Jesus keeps His focus on where it needs to be. On God and God’s purpose for His life. And moves on.
Jesus even rebukes the disciples who want to bog down in the moment, who want to get upset about the rejection. Why?
The rejection has served its purpose. There’s no need to even remember it, much less get upset about it.
Because rejections are just mile markers on the highway. And nobody gets upset about mile markers.
Today’s Readings
