Isaiah 53:1
“Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?”
Have you ever felt like no one ever listens to you? That must have been how our LORD felt. He says in the verse above, “Who hath believed our report?” After everything the LORD has done for us through creation, history, and our own lives, He still doesn’t get the respect He deserves. It doesn’t matter that He wrote a Book to give us instructions on how to live, and that Book has never failed one time. It doesn’t matter that He has been there for us for time and time again when others have forsaken us. The LORD has revealed His mighty arm to us over and over again, and yet He is ignored and disrespected. The response of the Saviour to being ignored and disrespected is the response you should have when others ignore and totally disrespect you.
First, keep growing in the LORD when you are ignored and disrespected. Verse 2 says, “For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant…” Jesus never stopped becoming Who He was supposed to become in spite of being disrespected and ignored. You must not allow the disrespect of others to keep you from growing in the LORD. Your continued growth is what will validate your works one day even when you are being disrespected and ignored. Don’t allow the actions of others to be your excuse to quit.
Second, don’t use excuses when you are ignored and disrespected. Verse 2 continues to say, “…as a root out of a dry ground…” Excuses are the precursor to mediocrity and wasted talent. Times may be tough, but you must never allow the “dry ground” of life to keep you from continuing to do what the LORD wants you to do. The people around you may be the heat of the desert who are trying to dry up your spirit, but you must not allow their criticism, disrespect or disregard to become your crutch to give up and waste God’s blessings on your life.
Third, don’t retaliate when you are ignored and disrespected. Though Jesus was oppressed, afflicted and attacked, He never opened His mouth against them. Trying to get revenge is the worse thing you can do when others disrespect you. Retaliating will never give you the respect you desire. The only thing that happens when you retaliate is that you lose your testimony for Christ and become irrelevant. Don’t react to the actions of others; rather, keep responding by principle as this is the only thing that keeps your testimony intact.
Fourth, keep helping others when you are ignored and disrespected. In verse 11, when Jesus was disrespected and ignored He continued to “bear” the “iniquities” of others. In verse 4, Jesus carried the griefs and sorrows of others though He was disrespected. Friend, the only thing that will help you to get through the times of disrespect is to continue helping others. The reason this will get you through is because it is a selfless act that forces you to keep your eyes off others.
You will notice that all four of these actions force you to take your eyes off yourself. If you will keep your eyes on the LORD, it won’t matter what others say and think about you. It is only when you dwell on yourself that you will feel ignored and disrespected. Keep your eyes on the LORD, and what others think of you will not matter to you.