Jesus knew what rejection felt like. When he preached his first sermon in his hometown of Nazareth, things went well in the beginning. But after he was finished, the people ran him out of town. They even tried to run him off a cliff, but he managed to escape. That was the first time Jesus experienced rejection for what he was trying to do for God, but it was not to be the last.

Many of us know how it feels, even though the circumstances may not be as dramatic. An excellent student minister was rejected by a search committee simply because he could not work full time. The church was in denial believing that they could support a full-time pastor. They did not extend the call, so both the church and the student minister missed out what might have been a good experience for both of them.

In …