January 19, 2023
Stephanie Nanton
Heap Coals of Fire On Their Head
By giving everyone respect and attention you gain the one key ingredient that is essential to you….charisma! You will have followers when you show others how great they are. People like being around someone that makes them feel good. You will also gain enemies, or shall I say in today’s language “haters, who drink haterade.” These are people who just hate because you are….you. Haters are allergic to positive. You will often be wondering……”What did I do to this person to deserve this treatment?”
Proverbs 25:21-22 – “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you.”
How you respond is key. Take a moment to think before you speak. Will it solve this person’s issue if you respond the same way they negatively responded to you? What did this person look like from your point of view when they acted this way? Do you want to look or act like this person when giving them a returned response?
Don’t lower your level to this behavior. Just brush it off…smile….walk away….keep your level of dignity….and keep soaring above this foolishness. Believe me, the impact you made on them is larger than you think. The Bible tells us that, by doing so, we will heap coals of fire on their heads. Proverbs 25:22
The action of rejection or people not accepting you for who you are and what you stand for, is an action that is hard to understand. This is especially hard when it’s coming from people you’ve come to respect and love highly. However, lessons like these are NOT even about the people who’ve rejected you, it’s about you and who is in you, and who you belong to. Regardless of whether or not a person accepts or rejects you for who you are or what you stand for, what did you learn about yourself in the process? Did you react in a negative way to the person’s actions? Did you smile and forgive? Did you respect that person’s choice in rejecting you? Whatever your reaction, just don’t forget that their rejection should NOT be priority in your life.
Do NOT tire yourself out trying to convince them to accept you. Be confident in who you are. You are important, you exist on purpose. You have a voice. You matter. You accept you. God accepts you. So, for the ones that rejected you….believe it or not…..it’s their loss.