In Good Company

This morning I was reading in the Gospel of John, where our Master presents a tough teaching for His followers to swallow (Jn. 6:25-71). At the end of Christ's dissertation, John records that, "...many of his disciples (can also be translated as followers) turned back and no longer followed him." What a shot to the jugular!! The Messiah was doing what the Father sent Him to do (Jn. 5:30-37) and yet people still bailed out on Him. Christ experienced rejection, despite the fact that all He ever did was speak with grace and truth (Jn. 1:14-17).

This gives me hope for a number of reasons. First, I am in good company. Not only do I experience rejection, but my Master experienced it too. As a matter of fact, God experiences rejection from His creation everyday!! That can't feel good. Second, it is not my job to transform a person's heart...only God can make that happen. My mission is to first and foremost pull an Enoch and walk with God. I am then called to do as Jesus did: speak grace and truth. I am here to do what God has called me to do. I cannot control what people do or don't do. I pray and hope for the best, but ultimately i am responsible to people, NOT for them. Does rejection suck? Does it hurt? SURE. But it is good to know that i am not alone. The greatest men and women from Bible days to the present have experienced an exodus (small or large) of followers as some point. They have doubted, toiled to no avail, been cussed out, spit on, hung out to dry, lied about, lied to, judged, told that they were inadequate or too young, and the list goes on and on.

Therefore, the question for us is not why does this happen to me or how do i avoid things like these. The question is, how will i respond? This is the question we all must answer personally and with honesty. Nevertheless, if you are feeling bummed out because of rejection or any of the above list...WELCOME!!! You are in Good Company!