Overcoming Rejection

March 24, 2026February 28, 2026 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

There was a news story a few weeks ago, about a baby macaque monkey (snow monkey) at the Ichikawa City Zoo in Ichikawa, Japan (about 20 miles east of Tokyo), the zookeepers named “Punch.”

His mother abandoned Punch at birth. The zoo staff stepped in and started raising Punch, even giving him a stuffed, orange orangutan to help him deal with the enormous amount of rejection he was facing and the loneliness. Even the other monkeys in the compound ignored him at first. Lately, though, the other monkeys have accepted him. Not sure if they realized he was now a celebrity, or, more likely, saw something in Punch they admired. Maybe they saw how he was handling the rejection. Maybe they noticed how he still cared for others even though others didn’t care for him.

I heard a line once in a movie that went something like this: “It’s not that they like you or that they don’t like you. You’re different from them. They don’t understand you, and sooner or later, people fear what they don’t understand.” Rejecting an individual because they are different from you is crazy. Sadly, people get rejected for most likely the stupidest of reasons every day. How you deal with it is important.

Take a cue from Punch. Don’t let it bother you. Know who you are and how special you are. Discover your talents and strengths and then excel in them. Know that you were fearfully and wonderfully made by God. (Psalms 139.14) And treat others the way you want to be treated. I wouldn’t necessarily walk around with a bright orange, stuffed orangutan, but a nice smile may do it. And remember, if you are really struggling, please talk to someone. And in America, you can dial 988 for help. Jesus was rejected. He knows your pain, and He is there ready and waiting to help if you will ask him to.

For copyright issues, I couldn’t show an actual photo of Punch, but you can go to any reputable news source and find one.

Copyright © 2026 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

Do You See Him?

July 20, 2021July 20, 2021 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

There is an old story, yet true, of three Jewish teenagers. Their real names are hard to say, and spell, so let’s call them, Jerry, George, and Bob. Bob was kind of strange, but there were moments when he would say or do something that caused Jerry and George to laugh, so they accepted him.

Their country was currently controlled by a foreign government. Along with new rules to live by came a demand to conform to the foreign country’s religion. One that included worshiping before a golden idol of their god.

Jerry, George, and Bob believed in the one, true, God, but their faith was about to be put to an extreme test. When the king, of the foreign government, learned of their devotion to their God he demanded they bow down to the idol, or to be thrown into a fiery furnace.

“Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” Said the king.

Bob spoke up with boldness in his voice and said, “King, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

This made the king so angry he ordered the furnace to be heated up seven times hotter. The three young men were tied up and when they were thrown into the furnace, three of the king’s guards died from the heat coming through the opening.

Then the king leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.” He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”

Yes, almighty God delivered Jerry, George and Bob from the fiery furnace, and from the hand of the king. As a result, the king ordered that all the land worship the one, true, God of Jerry, George, and Bob.

Last week I wrote about life’s problems, and your attitude toward them. I know that is easier said than done for some, or perhaps even most. But know this; when you are facing a storm, or even a trial that challenges your faith in God, look around for the Son of God who is in the fire with you.

He may say, “Peace be still” to your storm, he may extinguish the flames, or he may choose to walk through either with you. The bottom line is this;

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

Your God has not forgotten you, or abandoned you. He has heard your prayers, and has counted every tear. He loves you more than you will ever know, and when you hurt, He hurts. We are created in his image, and so God does have emotions. Trust him.