Open discussion thread for Christians only, please.
Ever been "encouraged" that you shouldn't feel badly about being rejected or disliked with snippets of Scripture about being God-pleasers rather than people-pleasers? Did it make you feel better? Has someone reminded you that Jesus himself promised us we would be despised and rejected because of Him and suggested you wear this like a badge of honor?
This topic weighs on me daily as a counselor. So many sit in my office in tears because they feel out of place or like they don't belong. They don't need counseling as much as love and encouragement. I don't tell them not to feel sad about these things; I believe that will produce a bitter, jaded, hard-hearted person and their faith may be harmed, not to mention their ability to be effective for service to God. I do remind them of their identity in Christ and how much they are loved by God. He truly is the source of our strength and our peace. But, that's not the whole picture, I assert.
The deep longing we all feel to "belong," is hard-wired in by God. It is not beneficial to ignore it in ourselves or in others. In fact, I'll suggest here that it is the very thing that helps us respond to the gospel and compels us to share it with others. When we fully receive the truth of who we are in Christ and find rest and peace in the sense of belonging that comes from that, I believe we should become winsome and attractive to the lost as we should be. So, we are not to strive so much to please men, rather to respond to God's love, which pleases Him, and the natural result of that response will be that we are more pleasing to those who will respond to the gospel. Of course, the other natural result will be that we will be despised and rejected by those who will not respond to the gospel. It's not a personal rejection. It won't sting any less, but there should be peace in knowing we share this burden with Christ and He has already dealt with the problem.
I'm inviting your thoughts on how you deal with the need to belong and with rejection. TWeb is the perfect venue for this dialogue since these things are played out daily right here. Please respond from a thoughtful perspective. I'm not looking for, "the heck with 'em," or "we should all just get along." Look forward to hearing from you!
Ever been "encouraged" that you shouldn't feel badly about being rejected or disliked with snippets of Scripture about being God-pleasers rather than people-pleasers? Did it make you feel better? Has someone reminded you that Jesus himself promised us we would be despised and rejected because of Him and suggested you wear this like a badge of honor?
This topic weighs on me daily as a counselor. So many sit in my office in tears because they feel out of place or like they don't belong. They don't need counseling as much as love and encouragement. I don't tell them not to feel sad about these things; I believe that will produce a bitter, jaded, hard-hearted person and their faith may be harmed, not to mention their ability to be effective for service to God. I do remind them of their identity in Christ and how much they are loved by God. He truly is the source of our strength and our peace. But, that's not the whole picture, I assert.
The deep longing we all feel to "belong," is hard-wired in by God. It is not beneficial to ignore it in ourselves or in others. In fact, I'll suggest here that it is the very thing that helps us respond to the gospel and compels us to share it with others. When we fully receive the truth of who we are in Christ and find rest and peace in the sense of belonging that comes from that, I believe we should become winsome and attractive to the lost as we should be. So, we are not to strive so much to please men, rather to respond to God's love, which pleases Him, and the natural result of that response will be that we are more pleasing to those who will respond to the gospel. Of course, the other natural result will be that we will be despised and rejected by those who will not respond to the gospel. It's not a personal rejection. It won't sting any less, but there should be peace in knowing we share this burden with Christ and He has already dealt with the problem.
I'm inviting your thoughts on how you deal with the need to belong and with rejection. TWeb is the perfect venue for this dialogue since these things are played out daily right here. Please respond from a thoughtful perspective. I'm not looking for, "the heck with 'em," or "we should all just get along." Look forward to hearing from you!
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