No thanks. Sorry. Not good enough. I don’t believe you can. You don’t have the look. What about a sneering gaze or sarcastic laughter? Each of these are laced with the idea of rejection. Yes, rejection, which results in humiliation, the stripping of one’s dignity, frustration, confusion, and psychological stressors as well as emotional and physical pains.
What if the rejection we experience in our everyday lives serves as evidence that we have greater acceptance? What if rejection actually suggests something greater in us? Let’s see what God has hidden for us:
1 Corinthians 1:26-28 (KJV) For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are…
- Called AND chosen.
For decades, even centuries, many believed that being “called and chosen” meant you belonged in a pulpit preaching to others and your life had to be squeaky clean in order to do so. That’s just not true. You can be called and chosen to do a myriad of things! Perhaps you’ve been called and chosen not only to preach, but also to sing, DJ, write, study, help, support, encourage, strengthen, assist, or love! Your purpose in life comes from enduring and overcoming the worst things imaginable.
People who are destined to do world-changing things must first endure world-changing opposition and survive! THAT’S what it means to be called and chosen! You don’t have to be perfect; your flaws are what make you useable! You’ve been called and chosen by God, on purpose, to be YOU! Our humanity makes us imperfect but we are nonetheless a perfect fit for God’s purpose in our lives and the people we’ll meet! The rejection you’ve endured is proof that God has greater plans for you because you’ve been called and chosen by Him!
1 Peter 2:9 (KJV)
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light…
- Defying the odds.
Ecclesiastes 9:11 (KJV) I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
The swift SHOULD win a race, the strong SHOULD win a battle, and the skilled SHOULD have all the favor…but time and chance don’t pick favorites. God is in control of everything! And because He is in control, God CHOOSES to use YOU to defy all the odds! You don’t HAVE TO be the fastest to win and you don’t HAVE TO be the strongest to be victorious in battle, you just have to let God defy the odds through you!
David bested a lion, bear, and giant! A small, ruddy boy defeated each of these before he was fifteen years old! Why? Because God used him to defy the odds! Don’t let the perspectives of others limit you, and don’t let a stacked deck incite fear or defeat in you. God intends to use the stacked deck to prove Himself through you! David’s brothers rejected him his whole life until God used him and defied the odds! AFTER this, and after A LIFETIME of rejection, David found acceptance, not only from those who previously rejected him, but also from people who never knew him! Don’t let rejection hinder your greatness; allow God to defy the odds in you and through you!
- Catalyst of Change.
1 Samuel 30:6, 8 (KJV) And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God. 8And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.
It’s funny how God will wait until things are at their worst before He uses YOU to produce change in yourself and others! David’s OWN MEN were ready to kill him because of what they were collectively experiencing and THEN, at the worst moment, David turned to God. And God granted him the strength needed to affect a change for himself and his three hundred men!
God chose YOU to be a catalyst of change for the people with whom you connect!
1 Corinthians 1:28 (NIV) God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are…
Where others have rejected you, God has designed you, called and chosen you to defy all odds, and commissioned you to be a catalyst of change. They may reject you now, but you can endure it when you walk in the path of purpose as He has intended it. You’ll find acceptance from God and others who have succeeded in spite of similar rejections! Be great despite rejection and you’ll discover greater acceptance!
Originally posted on November 28, 2018 @ 12:14 AM