A couple of weeks ago at church, the Sunday sermon was about rejection and how to overcome it, and it was so good that I decided to write about it this week.

What is rejection?

Well, the dictionary defines it as “the dismissing or refusal of a proposal.”

Some examples or times that you have felt rejected in your life are probably coming to mind right this moment such as someone you like not feeling the same way, not getting into the school you wanted or even a death of someone close to you can leave you feeling rejected.

If you’re like me, you have a fear of rejection. You’re scared to do things outside of your comfort zone because you don’t want to deal with that “what if” feeling in the pit of your stomach.

Rejection can come in many forms such as being unwanted as a child, not being accepted or loved, abandonment or being rejected by someone you desire to have a relationship with.

As humans, we avoid the things that could end up in us getting rejected, but something the pastor said that has still stuck with me is, “Anything we do by faith is a risk.”

Meaning, that in reality, anything we do that requires us to have faith in God is a huge risk because we don’t know the outcome.

Use these four ways to overcome rejection, have faith, and take the risk.

1. Base your life on God’s perfect love

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?" — Hebrews 13: 5-6

2. Pursue relationships with fellow believers

When you make friends with people who share the same beliefs as you, the same foundation, it makes a world of a difference in your life. They hold you accountable in your faith, make sure you're on the right path and love you unconditionally.

3. Expect rejection and don’t take it personally

"Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets." — Luke 6:22-23

4. Forgive those who reject you, and give them God’s love instead.

God calls us to forgive, no matter how hard it is. Forgiving is something I struggle with daily, but when you think about how Jesus died on a cross and managed to forgive all those who did Him wrong, it makes it a little bit easier.

We’re all human, and being rejected doesn’t make you any less than that. Know that there's something of God in you and you deserve to be loved.