(action points Luke 10:1-16)
Consider "whoever listens to you listens to Me. Whoever rejects you rejects Me. And whoever rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me"(v.16)
1. In what ways do you experience rejection or disapproval because of your relationship with Jesus Christ?
I don't truly know if I've yet to experience that type of disapproval, as most of the people who've been involved in my life as of the last two years have been those who had a positive view of the Lord or were they themselves followers of Christ.
I would say perhaps I may have experienced some forms of rejection from people who are struggling in their life right now, struggling with their placement in knowing and wondering why the things that befall their life do so in the way they do. And sometimes, when talking to those people, I know that I can't just say "yeah, but Jesus loves you."
Don't mistake this with me thinking Jesus cannot do anything at anytime. Think of it more as knowing that I know Jesus doesn't want me to force Him upon anyone, doesn't want me to sit there and say "look,here's the answer, you need to listen." Recently, I've been coming to the conclusion that a lot of the power of Christ comes from Him listening to us, willing to hear all the woes of our heart, allowing us to have the ills of our life be poured out before Him, and He will listen with resoluteness. For if He never listens, and always just instructs, how can He ever learn? All of His knowledge comes from God, and He learned this.
A friend told me in these past few months that when someone comes to them and reveals an issue/problem/point of sadness in their life, the first thing she tells them isn't "Jesus saves," or "God is the answer," or tries to minister to them. She simply says "I'm sorry".
Right now, I just thought of this moment from Apollo 13, when Tom Hanks' Jim Lovell is talking to his little boy about how long it would take to the moon. And the boy asks him if he knew the people in the fire, referring to an incident from early in the space program and how a whole shuttle crew died in a fire because the door wouldn't work.
And when his boy asks about it, you can see on Tom's face that this small event has made his son worry about his father, has clearly impacted his thoughts and life because it was something he knew about. And Tom says "well let me tell you something about that fire. A lot of things went wrong." His lip quivers and he almost catches himself in a moment where he himself will feel emotion, but he powers through it, because right then, he's supposed to be strong for his son.
It's the same way with Christ and man. Christ is strong for us because we are not strong. But not everyone knows Christ, and in that moment when they are hurting and weak, telling them "I'm sorry" is the best approach, in my view, because you are acknowledging their pain, you're letting them know that you're right there for them, willing to listen to all they have to say, without judgement, without forming opinions.
I wish I could tell those people right now in my life, who I know are going through major trials, some who reject God, I wish they could know that I, like I believe Christ is, feels for them. That I may not know what they are going through exactly, but that I understand what it means to them.
But sometimes, they reject Christ. They reject you, because they see you're operating and taking your cues from a different place in your life. This sometimes can lead to a sense of anger or bitterness, a sense of the clouds rolling back in and covering the sunlight up.
My friends, I'm sorry for your pain. I want you to know I am here for you. I listen because Christ listens. I give myself because He gave Himself.
Yet I know not everyone will accept that. To them, Christ, and in some way, I, end up becoming another source of that pain. This, all too often, is the way of the world. And as I know, the way of the world is not the way of the Lord.
2. What are some of the hardest parts of this to deal with? Why is being misunderstood such a normal place for Christians to be?
Lol, I should have looked at both questions before answering them, as I think I pretty much summed this one up in my words above.
We are not of the world. We are not of its ways. We do not conform because we cannot conform. It goes against what we are taught. And so, in knowing this, the enemy uses that to his advantage, and does his best to come at us from any and all angles, attacking our emotions, making it difficult for us to be, frankly, taken seriously.
How I wish things could be easier. How I hope we didn't have to go through this. But if things truly were easier, Christ would have not needed to lie down, because His message would have been accepted and treasured by all.
Instead, when the day of Judgement comes, all will bow, whether they want to or not, when it is (I believe) the wish of the Father for all to bow willingly.
Be the Kingdom. Amen.
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