You finally worked up the courage. You invited your friend to church, or you shared a bit about how your faith in God helped you through a tough time. And their response was a polite “I’m not really into that,” or worse, an awkward silence that screams “please stop.”
Matthew 5:11: Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Ouch. That stings. It’s easy to walk away feeling embarrassed, defeated, and thinking, “Well, I messed that up. I’m never doing that again.” The fear of rejection is one of the biggest things that keeps our mouths shut. We take the “no” as a personal failure.
When we get rejected, our mind immediately goes to the worst conclusions: “They think I’m a weirdo.” “I must have said the wrong thing.” “I’ve ruined our friendship.” We feel like a salesperson who just got the door slammed in their face.
This hurts because we’ve made it about our performance. We feel the weight of their salvation on our shoulders, as if their eternal destiny depends solely on our ability to deliver a perfect, convincing argument. This pressure is not only terrifying, it’s not even biblically accurate. It’s a burden God never asked us to carry.
So, how do we handle the “no” without quitting? We have to remember two crucial truths.
1. Our Job is to Plant Seeds, Not Grow the Tree: Apostle Paul, one of the greatest evangelists ever, said, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow”, 1 Corinthians 3:6. You see, our job is to be faithful in planting or watering the seed of the Gospel. But making it grow? That is God’s job, and His alone. We are just one link in a long chain of people God might use in someone’s life. Your “no” might be the step that prepares them to say “yes” to the next person.
2. Even Jesus Was Rejected: If the perfect Son of God was rejected by the people He came to save, why would we, His imperfect followers, expect a perfect track record? Jesus told His disciples in John 15:18, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first”. When someone rejects the message, it’s often not about you, it’s about the One you represent.
So, here’s a takeaway for you. God doesn’t necessarily call us to be successful; He calls us to be faithful. Our mission is to share the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ with love and leave the results to Him. So the next time you face a “no,” don’t take it personally. See it as a seed planted. Pray for that person, continue to be their friend, and trust that God is still at work in their life, even when you can’t see it. Your faithfulness in the face of rejection is a powerful testimony in itself.