Releasing What Isn't Ours to Own
“If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.” Matthew 10:14
Kneeling on a stranger’s carpet, overpriced vacuum hose in hand, I struggled to maintain eye contact. I must have apologized at least half a dozen times—for bothering the poor woman and for attempting to sell the silly contraption.
For knocking on her door in the first place.
If only she hadn’t answered.
If only I hadn’t answered that vague ad in the newspaper. Become an independent contractor, they said. Earn thousands in commissions, they said.
Why I ever thought I, a woman who hates dirt, dust, and socially awkward situations, could ever succeed as a door-to-door salesperson is beyond me.
Then again, I didn’t. I quit and had begun plotting my resignation by the first house.
I wonder if any of Jesus’ disciples felt similar when He sent them out, two by two, to share His truth with complete strangers. Granted, they were selling something much more valuable than vacuums, but still, strangers and religion.
Not only that, but they were to stay with these strangers as their guests. In their home, presumably for as long as they’d have them. If the strangers were receptive, and accepted their message, the disciples were to “let their peace rest on them.” If the homeowners got riled up or kicked the disciples out, they were to shake the dust off their feet. To let no trace of that “rejection” cling to them.
They weren’t to allow “rejections” past or present get in the way of their calling. They needed to let them go. So do we. We’ve all experienced rejection, but we don’t have to stay there. The next time someone mistreats or turns their back on you, mentally shake off the dust and move on, knowing you’re deeply loved by your Heavenly Father.
Jennifer Slattery is a writer, editor, speaker, and the founder of Wholly Loved Ministries. She writes for Crosswalk, is the author of eight contemporary novels, and helped write Wholly Loved’s Bible study based on the life of Sarai (Gen. 12-23) titled Becoming His Princess, releasing in the spring/summer of 2019. When not writing, reading, or editing, Jennifer loves going on mall outings with her adult daughter and coffee dates with her hilariously fun husband. Visit her online at jenniferslatterylivesoutloud.com.
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