Whether we’re jocks, musicians, actors, or mathletes, at some point in our childhood, we began the process of “trying out” for teams or auditioning for certain roles or opportunities.
Eventually, we all experienced rejection. You didn’t make the varsity squad or get the role you wanted in your high school play. You didn’t get accepted into your first-choice college. You didn’t get the internship you wanted. You didn’t get the job.
The longer we live life, the more we will face rejection.
But what if rejection doesn’t have to be taken personally?
When I was in high school, a musical theater director of mine introduced me to his personal theory I like to call The Bagel Theory.
Hear me out.
All of us musical theater kids, we were all bagels. My friend Chloe was a chocolate chip bagel; My friend Anna was a sesame bagel; I was a blueberry bagel. You get the idea. We were all great bagels, but we were each a different kind of bagel.
When auditioning for a certain role, Chloe, Anna, and I could all be up for the same part. We would all be uniquely great for the role, but at the end of the day, the casting director was looking for a certain type of bagel. Chloe may get the gig because they were looking for a chocolate chip bagel. It didn’t mean that Anna or I weren’t amazing bagels. We just weren’t the bagels they were looking for.
Suddenly, getting rejected for a part wasn’t a judgement of our talent or abilities, it was just a reflection of someone else’s preferences.
While I don’t audition for musical theater roles anymore, The Bagel Theory, has truly shaped how I look at every application, interview, or opportunity I seek.
Now here’s where I like to combine The Bagel Theory with The Sovereignty of God.
My job is to work hard, be prepared, and show up for the opportunity. I just need to be the best darn blueberry bagel God has created me to be. Then, if this is the right job, internship, college, or other opportunity for me, God will take care of the rest!
So now when I am rejected, not only is it not a reflection of my value, but I can trust in God’s Sovereignty, that it just wasn’t His best for me!
But you can always find someone who is better, stronger, smarter, faster, prettier than you.
Totally. I’m not trying to ignore the fact that every person is given a unique set of skills and abilities. But that’s just it.
God has given you a unique set of skills, talents, and abilities!
And He is going to open the doors to opportunities that He has planned out for you. He’s also going to close doors that you and I think are perfect for us, when He has other plans in mind.
The longer I live, the more and more thankful I am when God closes a door. I only want to be exactly where He wants me to be. Rejection is no longer a reflection of my worth. It’s a reflection of God’s sovereign hand over my life.
