Rejected by Man: Re-directed to God

Part 1 - A love Letter to Christians bruised by Rejection

What is life without pain, disappointment, rejection and sufferings? Absolutely nothing! It is from the angle of rejection that I am encouraged and led to write this blog post.

My Experience

There is a deep, lingering, unexplained pain and seemingly unbearable ache that comes with being rejected. I know this pain oh so well after feeling rejected from past relationships ending, after feeling rejected by God when I found out about Endometriosis and the havoc it wrecks in my body and fertility, having close friendships ending pre-maturely and when my father decided he didn’t want to be a part of our family anymore and walked out on us. All of this happened in one year. The purpose of sharing this is to identify with you and let you know that you are not alone. We may not have similar issues but I have an idea how you are feeling and most importantly, God does too.

We often assess ourselves to see if and how we have contributed to our current state. Did I miss something? What could I have done or said differently? I have learnt and continue to learn daily that it is in the season of greatest rejection that we enter the season of greatest opportunity to discover the fullness of God's joy by discovering the fullness of His own heart. 

God cares for His people and He wants to draw us closer to Him. I had no doubt about this during this season but I couldn’t understand how will this draw me closer to you Lord? How does being broken, despair, alone, afraid, in tremendous pain, rejected…how can I be of any use to you when everyone who you have sent into my life have walked out on me? What will you see that they were unable to? What worth? What value? 

At the end of you, you will see me. At the end of your dependence, you will depend on me and seek to develop our relationship. There is much I desire to do through you but you have to be empty so I can fill you and only then I can be completely glorified in and through you. After drying those eyes, the Holy Spirit led me to His word and showed me that I was not alone. Let us explore the scriptures together:

What Does the Scripture Says?

Hebrews 4:15 reminds us that Jesus is our High Priest who understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin. Did Jesus really encounter rejection? How did He deal with it?

St. John 7:5 tells us that His brothers did not believe in him. He did not have the support of the ones we think should understand us the most and support us because we are family. Jesus also faced rejection in His community. The neighbours He grew up with and family friends, “were deeply offended and refused to believe in Him.” (Matthew 13:57) He knows what it feels like to lose the love and support of a community, to feel unwelcome in a place that was once home. Jesus also faced rejection from the ones who claimed they loved Him and have expressed their love and commitment repeatedly to him. Jesus predicted both Judas’ betrayal and Peter’s denial. He saw it coming but he was still hurt in his humanness. John 13:21 tells us that Jesus was “deeply troubled.” Jesus had just wash the feet of those who followed him as a symbol of servanthood and laying down His life for them. In a matter of hours, the one who loved Him the most rejected even an association with Him. Jesus understands heartbreak, rejection and the deep ache of longing it produces.

As we read throughout the Gospels, Jesus had one solid relationship that sustained Him with His Father. The scripture shows us the numerous times He would find solace when He was alone with His father in prayer. I believe this must have been the worst case of rejection when Jesus cried out, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 

Caitlin Williams said it best, “It truly is a sweet comfort knowing that Jesus understands our pain in the most real way, that he shares the burden. But when we look at his life on earth and all he endured for our sake, we see that it’s actually us who can identify with him, not the other way around. He first experienced everything that we now experience in order to redeem it all, to cover it all in grace.”

I was also reminded that, “if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.” (Rom. 8:15) “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory to be revealed to us later. (Rom. 8:18) While the gospel offers comfort with the knowledge that it stands as the unfaltering, unchangeable answer to rejection. We are also reminded not to be alarmed when we face trials of many kinds but consider it pure joy. Why? “For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” (James 1:3-4) If we are to overcome and endure to the end, it is vital that our endurance is developed.

So what is the opposite of Rejection – dismiss, spurn, desert, abandon? 

Redemption – save, rescue, vindicate, absolution! That is what Jesus did!

By the power of the gospel, we have received the “Spirit of adoption” (Romans 8:15). That’s permanent, binding acceptance. We know that, now, nothing can separate us from the Father’s love – “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow-not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below –indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39).

In Ephesians 3:18-19 (NLT) the Apostle Paul says,

And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.  

Man’s rejection is made so small in light of the truth that, through the gospel, we have God’s eternal love and acceptance, unconditionally. Psalm 94:14 beautifully reminds us that, “The Lord will not reject his people; he will not abandon his special possession.”

You, yes you! Turn your hearts back to God because He loves you and wants you to be with Him. Let us be encouraged in our hearts to continue living in obedience and walking in His light all for His Glory and Praise.