Rejected

We were in town today and realized that we needed to get gas. I put our credit card into the gas pump so that I could start pumping. When I tried to pull the card out, it would not budge. It locked me out and kept the card. I went into the station and asked what was going on. She hit a few buttons and said it should be fine. When I got back to the pump, it was still locked. I went back into the station. The clerk went back and reset the pump I was at. She told me it should be fine, but that I should try using a different pump. So I did. I went about as far away from the original pump as I could and.... it locked up on me again. I went back in yet again and asked if others were having problems too. She replied, "No. Only you”. I guess I was special or unique, but I didn’t want to be. I was rejected... multiple times. I didn’t want to get locked out yet again, so we went to a different station and then it worked. It doesn’t feel good to be rejected, even if it is just a credit card that wasn’t accepted. As I pondered a little more, I recalled times in elementary school and junior high where I was rejected there. Most of the time it wasn’t vicious. I’ve seen that happen and it is appalling. It is just the idea of being on the outside looking in... not fitting in well... treated differently... isolated. As a Christian, God tells us that we will be rejected by the world because of our faith. I believe that deep down, the world knows there is a God, but they don’t want to have to submit to Him or they want to change Him so that He supports their world view. It doesn’t work that way. We are a reminder of who God is, especially if we are faithfully living that faith in a way that the world sees. In school, I was rejected at times because I didn’t quite fit in. The world will reject us because of what we believe, what we say, and how we live our lives. There are times when the “world” rejects us that we need to continue to stand firm. There are other times that God places a desire in our hearts to continue to reach out. There are many missionaries that have been rejected over and over again, but they keep standing firm. There are some that were killed for their refusal to blend in. We are not to give up when rejected, but we are to try, try, try again with God’s help. Father, Forgive me for the times I have given up on those that haven’t accepted me/You. Prepare us for service. Amen