03/01/2024
20 DAYS OF RELATIONAL HEALTH
Day 5
Rejection
Kneeling on a stranger’s carpet, overpriced vacuum hose in hand, I struggled to maintain eye contact. I must have apologized at least half a dozen times—for bothering the poor woman in the first place and for attempting to sell the silly contraption.
For knocking on her door in the first place.
If only she hadn’t answered.
If only I hadn’t answered that vague ad in the newspaper. Become an independent contractor, they said. Earn thousands in commissions, they said.
Why I ever thought I, a woman who hates dirt, dust, and socially awkward situations, could ever succeed as a door-to-door salesperson is beyond me.
Then again, I didn’t. I quit, and began plotting my resignation by the first house.
I wonder if any of Jesus’ disciples felt similar when, in Matthew 10, He sent them out, two by two, to share His truth with complete strangers. Granted, they were selling something much more valuable than vacuums, but still, strangers and religion.
Not only that, but they were to stay with these strangers, as their guests. In their home, presumably for as long as they’d have them. If the strangers were receptive, accepted their message, the disciples were to “let their peace rest on them.” If the homeowners got riled up or kicked the disciples out, they were to shake the dust off their feet. They weren't to allow any trace of that “rejection” to cling to them.
They weren’t to allow “rejections” past or present get in the way of their calling. They needed to let them go. So do we. We’ve all experienced rejection, but we don’t have to stay there. The next time you find yourself in an awkward, sure-to-be-rejected situation, or when someone mistreats or turns their back on you, mentally shake off the dust and move on, knowing you’re deeply loved by your Heavenly Father.
~ Jennifer Slattery
”And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food. “Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.“
Matthew 10:1-11, 13-14 NKJV
And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. Now the names of the twelve a