And whoever will not receive and accept and welcome you nor listen to your message, as you leave that house or town, shake the dust [of it] from your feet. Matthew 10:14 (AMPC)
On any given walk you start out all scrubbed up spotless, squeaky-clean and smart but after only a few steps down the road you pick up dust or dirt and by the time you get to your destination you aren’t as fresh and immaculate as you started out.
Even in our life walk we can’t rule out getting dust or dirt especially on our shoes. Now we don’t stop going on ahead because dust got onto our shoes rather we wipe it off and continue on forward in our journey. Likewise there’s dust on the pathway of life. It includes missing it, failure, loss, being misunderstood, betrayal, rejection, and offense,
When you miss it that doesn’t mean you’ve forever missed reaching your goal. You may have missed a step or even several steps but step up, and step forward. You may have failed all the last times you tried but you’re not a failure. All those times you succeeded at finding out what doesn’t work.
Loss leads to looking for and finding. The Good Shepherd looks for and finds the lost sheep. I once was lost but now I’m found.
When you get misunderstood it’s not you but the one who made you that way and sent you that they don’t understand.
Betrayal exposes the wolf in sheep’s clothing among those you thought were your friends and teaches you to be more discerning as well as the importance of loyalty.
Rejection from one person or place will open your eyes to several other opportunities and right places of acceptance and favor. Our Lord told us that when they persecute us in one town we flee to another. Matthew 10:23 (AMPC) When they persecute you in one town [that is, pursue you in a manner that would injure you and cause you to suffer because of your belief], flee to another town; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
As for offenses, they will always come. Matthew 18:7 (NKJV) Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!
Now offenses help us train ourselves to control our anger. Proverbs 19:11 (AMPC) Good sense makes a man restrain his anger, and it is his glory to overlook a transgression or an offense. We also learn patience over offences.
Dust off your shoes, shake and wipe off the dust of missing it, failure, loss, being misunderstood, betrayal, rejection, and offense. These are not part of you so don’t hold onto them. Don’t stop; keep on walking towards your destiny.