Willing to Suffer Rejection?
by Tina Yeager
“Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the Scriptures:
‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’”
(Matthew 21:42, NIV).
Decades ago, the call to write stirred my soul. I stepped onto the path and forged my inky way across the pages of one manuscript after another. Characters and nonfiction chapters ventured forth from my hopeful fingers to face editors in the publication gauntlet. Despite my attempts to edit-stitch the lines so bloodied with red ink, most returned from these encounters to suffer a rejected book’s demise.
The single manuscript to survive as a published book now bears the scars of retailer returns and COVID-year sale numbers. As I pored over the wounds of my Beautiful Warrior and the ongoing rejection of her sister manuscripts, despondency crept in. I no longer had the motivation to strategize from the setbacks and move forward with new skills. The years had weakened my grip on God’s dream, so I prayed about whether to lay it down. I asked the Lord if this rejection and failure served as evidence to turn away from the path I believed he had laid out for me.
What are you willing to do for Christ, Tina? Are you only willing to enjoy success? Or are you also willing to follow the path Jesus walked and suffer rejection?
I asked the Lord to clarify if he meant he had called me to fail.
I haven’t called you to fail. But to obey.
So I must pursue obedience over all things, including the world’s standards of success. Obey to succeed in the Kingdom. No matter how that appears to me or others on the path toward his plan’s fulfillment.
When we experience rejection in our lives, including publishing, we remain in the best of company. Christ empathizes and stands with us through our rejections. His obedience turned hardships and struggle into miraculous benefits for the Kingdom. Like the one who has gone before us, we can humble ourselves to suffer setbacks. We can then expect success in the Kingdom whether or not the world recognizes our accomplishments for Christ.
Lord, guide my steps to follow your will. Fill my heart and soul with the passion to serve your purpose with the words you pour through me. Lead and equip me to glorify you and fulfill your best plans. Amen.
Award-winning author, speaker, licensed counselor, and life coach, Tina encourages audiences to fulfill their potential. She offers writing workshops through Serious Writer Academy, hosts the Flourish-Meant podcast, and is head mentor with Word Weavers International. Beautiful Warrior, her book on women’s esteem is available on Amazon. To connect with her, visit tinayeager.com.