DON'T REJECT YOURSELF

"I really wish I was less of a thinking man and more of a fool not afraid of rejection." - Billy Joel

To reject means “to throw away,” “discard.” It's the act of “being denied love.” The feeling of being discarded leads us to believe that we are unloved. When we feel unloved, we deem ourselves worthless. As much as we feel rejected, unloved or worthless that is how much we are unable to receive love, whether from God or people. Often, we hear when people tell us they love us, but we don’t truly recognize that love for the gift it is. Instead, we wait for the proverbial “other shoe” to drop, and anxiously anticipate when that love will be withdrawn.

There was a man whose life was characterized by failure. At the age of 22, his business failed. At 23, he ran for Legislature but was defeated. So he turned to another business, which failed when he was 24. At 25, things started to turn around when he was elected to Legislature, but at 26 his love died. He had a nervous breakdown at 27 and was defeated in his run for Speaker at 29. He was defeated at 31 when he ran for Elector, he lost in his run for Congress at 34, but then managed to win at 37.
He was defeated in his re-election for Congress in 39, he was defeated in his run for Senate at 46, he was defeated in his run for Vice President at 47, he was defeated for his run for Senate at 49. This man was stubborn as a mule but not a winning mule. He was defeated over and over and over again until at the age of 51 he was elected President of the United States. In fact, he would become one of the greatest presidents in the country's history. He is Abraham Lincoln. He endured through the hardships, the trials, the defeats, the rejections, and the failures. Until one day he became the commander-in-chief. That is the power of perseverance, in the face of seeming rejection. It is vital for success.

Rejection assigns blame; it is by assigning blame that the party, who is rejecting the other party, is able to feel absolved and free of any responsibility to work on the relationship or situation. “You” (what you did, who you are, or what you did not do), is the focus of rejection and the means by which the blame it assigns is expressed.

No matter what happens, reach deep down in you and like the scriptures say of David, "He encouraged himself...", learn to encourage yourself and like Abraham Lincoln, surprise your critics, prove them wrong and watch how those "unworthy feelings" die.