BRING THE RAIN

Today in service the topic was rejection:

Have you ever been rejected? Well I have and you say to yourself “why me”
This is not how it is suppose to be! But it happens.
Our pastor brought up some great situations on this very topic during today’s service.
He said “this is not how it is suppose to be” but once again it happens.
Have you ever double guest yourself? I have, in school I wanted so bad to be a cheerleader, oh, it looked like fun to be apart of a team. Well I went to all (and I mean all) of the practices and still at that moment I froze, froze of fear and I was rejected, they rejected me, yes, sweet me.
I wasn’t good enough for the team I received a “thank you, next” wow that hurt.
I knew I could have done it and done it great, I would have done my very best if they looked past the tryouts. But that is a good example rejection.
This is not how it was suppose to be once again.
Rejection is a mean and powerful word. I wish every one had a chance before some one gives the next “no thank you.”
You can be rejected by your partner, a friend from school, team sports, jobs and basically in every day life, you will have to face it, that makes us second guess our selves every day.
This is not how its suppose to be, “why me.”
I watched the swimming Olympics last evening, well every evening, but last night was the one that was left in my mind. The greatest swimmer and one that I myself cheered for , was Michael Phelps, well this story of how he started was a very sad story, he was in a home of divorced parents (umm another topic of rejection) however his mother was able to raise three children all by her self; one had the dream to become a Olympic swimmer, the dream of going to the Olympics for the USA, he went out gave his all.
Think about it, what is the possibility of him being rejected at this time being the greatest Olympian of all times? Well you will think that he will not be rejected at all. Nevertheless, imagine if this individual who is so famous has not received Jesus as his lord and savior, he will definitely be rejected.
We face this all the time but in church one point that stuck to me is that the Lord loves me no matter how many times I was rejected.
Remember what Jesus said “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God.”
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to my father except through me. “
(John 14:22) Amen
So as a recap, rejection happens all the time in every day life issues. So say to yourself “bring it on” cause its like hard rain, when it rains it pours nothing is ever easy, so if this is what I need to go though in life, the good, the bad and the ugly, I say “Bring the rain.”

Fear of rejection is the:
Irrational fear that others will not accept me for who I am, what I believe, and how I act.
Pervasive motivator for caution in my behavior and interactions with others.
State of mind that makes me incapable of doing or saying anything for fear of others' rejection, lack of acceptance, or disapproval.
State of being of individuals who are over-dependent on the approval, recognition, or affirmation of others in order to feel good about themselves. In order to sustain personal feelings of adequacy these individuals are constantly concerned with the reactions of others to them.
Self-censoring attitude that inhibits creativity, productivity, and imagination in one's approach.
Driving force behind many people that keeps them from being authentic human beings. They are so driven by the need for acceptance of others that they lose their own identity in the process. They mimic the ways in which others act, dress, talk, think, believe, and function. They become the three-dimensional clones of the ``role models'' they so desperately need to emulate in order to gain acceptance.
Underlying process in the power of ``peer pressure'' that grabs hold and makes people act in stereotypic, ``pop'' culture, counter culture, punk, new wave, preppie, yuppie, and other styles. They crave recognition and acceptance from the reference group with whom they want to be identified.
Energy-robbing attitude that leads to self-immobilization, self-defeating, and self-destructive behavior. This attitude encourages ongoing irrational thinking and behavior, resulting in personal stagnation, regression, and depression.
Driving force of some people for all actions in their lives. It plays a part in their choices concerning their education, career direction, work behavior, achievement level, interpersonal and marital relationships, family and community life, and the ways in which they spend leisure time.
Act of giving to others more power than I give to myself over how I feel about myself. What the others say or feel about me is the determinant of how I feel about myself. I am completely at the mercy of others for how happy or sad I will be. My self-satisfaction and belief in myself is in their hands. Fear of rejection is the abdication of power and control over my own life.