Acts 13:48-52: a reflection

48As the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of God. As many as were appointed to eternal life believed. 49The Lord’s word was spread abroad throughout all the region. 50But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, and stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and threw them out of their borders. 51But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came to Iconium. 52The disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

When Paul and Barnabas were driven out of a city by those who opposed their message, their response was not bitterness or defeat, but a shaking off of the dust and a moving on, still full of joy. They shook off the dust of their feet against them, the account says, and came to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. They had been rejected, opposed, expelled; yet they did not let the rejection embitter them or stop them. They shook the dust from their feet, a gesture of leaving the matter behind, and moved on to the next place, still joyful, still filled with the Spirit. Rejection did not defeat them or steal their joy; they left it behind and went on. When we are rejected or opposed, we can respond not with bitterness or despair, but by leaving the rejection behind and moving on, keeping our joy. The disciples' joy was not dependent on being accepted; it held even through rejection, and they moved on. Rejection need not embitter us or steal our joy; we can shake off the dust and go on.

Notice how Paul and Barnabas responded to rejection: they shook off the dust and moved on, still joyful. They had been opposed and expelled; but they did not let this embitter them, nor did they let it stop them or steal their joy. They shook the dust from their feet, leaving the rejection behind, and moved on to the next place, still filled with joy and the Spirit. This is a wise and gracious response to rejection: not to nurse bitterness, not to be defeated, not to let it rob our joy, but to leave it behind and go on. Their joy was not dependent on being accepted or welcomed; it held even when they were rejected, because it rested on God, not on others' approval. To shake off the dust of a rejection and move on, keeping our joy, is far better than to be embittered or halted by it. Rejection is real, but it need not embitter us or stop us; we can leave it behind and continue, joyful in the Spirit. The disciples did not let rejection define or defeat them. They moved on, and their joy held.

That is worth taking to heart, for we can respond to rejection by leaving it behind and moving on, keeping our joy, rather than being embittered or defeated. When we are rejected or opposed, we can let it embitter us, defeat us, or steal our joy; but Paul and Barnabas shook off the dust and moved on, still filled with joy and the Spirit. Their joy was not dependent on being accepted; it held even through rejection. To leave a rejection behind and move on, keeping our joy in God, is better than nursing bitterness or being halted. Do not let rejection embitter you or steal your joy; shake off the dust and move on, joyful in the Spirit, as Paul and Barnabas did. Respond to rejection by shaking off the dust and moving on without bitterness, keeping your joy in God rather than letting it be stolen, as Paul and Barnabas, driven out of the city, shook the dust from their feet and came to the next place still filled with joy and the Holy Spirit; for rejection is real but need not embitter us or defeat us or steal our joy, since our joy rests on God rather than on others' approval, and to leave a rejection behind and continue, joyful in the Spirit, is far better than being halted or embittered by it.

Lord, when Paul and Barnabas were driven out of a city by those who opposed their message, their response was not bitterness or defeat, but a shaking off of the dust and a moving on, still full of joy. They shook off the dust of their feet against them, the account says, and came to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. They had been rejected, opposed, expelled; yet they did not let the rejection embitter them or stop them. They shook the dust from their feet and moved on, still joyful, still filled with the Spirit. Rejection did not defeat them or steal their joy. Show me how Paul and Barnabas responded to rejection: they shook off the dust and moved on, still joyful. They had been opposed and expelled; but they did not let this embitter them, nor stop them, nor steal their joy. They left the rejection behind and moved on, still filled with joy and the Spirit. This is a wise and gracious response to rejection: not to nurse bitterness, not to be defeated, but to leave it behind and go on. Their joy was not dependent on being accepted; it held even when they were rejected, because it rested on you. Take that to my heart, for I can respond to rejection by leaving it behind and moving on, keeping my joy, rather than being embittered or defeated. When I am rejected or opposed, I can let it embitter me, defeat me, or steal my joy; but Paul and Barnabas shook off the dust and moved on, still filled with joy. Their joy rested on you, not on others' approval. Keep me from letting rejection embitter me or steal my joy; help me shake off the dust and move on, Lord, joyful in the Spirit, as Paul and Barnabas did, my joy resting on you.