Rejected ... Part 2
Continued from previous
I couldn’t help but to feel sorry for them. After all, they were trying to work and earn a living. They probably needed the money to support themselves or their families. That made the rejections after rejections harder to take.
The truth is life will be full of rejections. From credit card sales to proposals in business meetings and from relational rejections to ministry rejections. Life is full of them. The question is not how to avoid rejections but how to embrace and grow from rejections.
I remembered how I felt in my first direct sales job selling bags from shops to shops when I was 16. My skin on my face grew thicker by 3 inches by the end of the day. And my ego deflated by the same extent. I remembered how I felt not been chosen for particular tasks at work. I remembered how I felt when my suggestions were shot down in meetings.
I remembered how I felt when I was learning to do one2one and people don’t show up … and they don’t inform you. And you cancel your meeting for that and drove 45 minutes to meet them. I remembered how I felt when after pouring your time and prayers for months … only for the person to turn his back and accuse you. I remembered how I felt when you felt you got through to a person and when you get up the day, you received an email from the very same person asking you to leave them alone. I remembered how I felt when I was shut off time after time from a person whom desperately needed help – but refused to, only finally manage to meet him when I waited for him unexpectedly outside his class in his college. (It pays to look like a student even when you are way past the age :) ) And we had one of the most ministering conversation in months. And the lists go on. And handling rejections become easier as you grow stronger. It doesn’t bother you as much. In fact, you even begin to expect and embrace them. It makes you stronger. And your heart more tender.
The question is again - is not how to avoid rejections but how to embrace and grow from rejections. We can avoid rejection at all costs. We just don’t take risks anymore and live a safe life. We don’t reach out and open up ourselves to be vulnerable. We don’t invest in lives of others and just live for ourselves. We don’t make a stand or dare to dream to live a larger life. We live our lives driven by fear of rejection rather than fear of God. We live our lives driven by safeness of life rather than dreams.
Every great man and woman in history has learnt the art of embracing rejections and seeing it as an opportunity to grow stronger. I hope I am still learning that. I hope the 2 young men that I met today are learning that too. I hope you guys too.
The truth is life will be full of rejections. From credit card sales to proposals in business meetings and from relational rejections to ministry rejections. Life is full of them. The question is not how to avoid rejections but how to embrace and grow from rejections.
I remembered how I felt in my first direct sales job selling bags from shops to shops when I was 16. My skin on my face grew thicker by 3 inches by the end of the day. And my ego deflated by the same extent. I remembered how I felt not been chosen for particular tasks at work. I remembered how I felt when my suggestions were shot down in meetings.
I remembered how I felt when I was learning to do one2one and people don’t show up … and they don’t inform you. And you cancel your meeting for that and drove 45 minutes to meet them. I remembered how I felt when after pouring your time and prayers for months … only for the person to turn his back and accuse you. I remembered how I felt when you felt you got through to a person and when you get up the day, you received an email from the very same person asking you to leave them alone. I remembered how I felt when I was shut off time after time from a person whom desperately needed help – but refused to, only finally manage to meet him when I waited for him unexpectedly outside his class in his college. (It pays to look like a student even when you are way past the age :) ) And we had one of the most ministering conversation in months. And the lists go on. And handling rejections become easier as you grow stronger. It doesn’t bother you as much. In fact, you even begin to expect and embrace them. It makes you stronger. And your heart more tender.
The question is again - is not how to avoid rejections but how to embrace and grow from rejections. We can avoid rejection at all costs. We just don’t take risks anymore and live a safe life. We don’t reach out and open up ourselves to be vulnerable. We don’t invest in lives of others and just live for ourselves. We don’t make a stand or dare to dream to live a larger life. We live our lives driven by fear of rejection rather than fear of God. We live our lives driven by safeness of life rather than dreams.
Every great man and woman in history has learnt the art of embracing rejections and seeing it as an opportunity to grow stronger. I hope I am still learning that. I hope the 2 young men that I met today are learning that too. I hope you guys too.
1 comments:
this is a really encouraging post to me shawn :)
Post a Comment