Rejection. A painful reality that I would guess everyone goes through at least once during their lifetime. It can come from almost anyone, sometimes even those who we love the most and would do anything for. It can be senseless and sudden, seemingly coming out of nowhere.
Any kind of rejection — romantic, rejection by a family member or friend, or even rejection by a company you applied to — can leave you with a slew of emotions. Anger, bitterness, loneliness, sorrow, a feeling of worthlessness, and sometimes unexplainable emotions. It can cause you to wonder what you did wrong, what you could have done to keep the rejection from happening. For some, it may even cause despair and the desire to die.
What can be done to stop rejection? Unfortunately, probably nothing. But there is hope and comfort to be found even in the midst of the darkest, most painful moments that come from being rejected.
Our foundational hope is that we have a Savior who is intimately familiar with rejection. The prophet Isaiah wrote, "He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him." (Isaiah 53:3[1])
In His moments of the most excruciating pain, even as He gave Himself as the sacrifice for the sins of mankind, the Savior was despised and rejected. Even the Father turned His face away as Jesus hung on the cross (Matthew 27:46). Our Lord Jesus knows what it is to be rejected by those we love, for He perfectly loves all who rejected Him.
We have the hope, the confident expectation that our Savior will never reject us. The Apostle Paul gives us this hope: "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39) Even if the whole world rejects us, the Lord will continue to love us with permanent, complete love.
When we are rejected, we have someone to run to. The Psalms are full of comfort, and of metaphors of God being our refuge and strength (Psalm 46:1), our rock and our hope (Psalm 42:9, 11), our protector and comfort (Psalm 36:7), and much more. He knows the things we struggle with as a result of rejection; He knows which of our reactions are sinful and which are not. He calls us to "cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you." (I Peter 5:7) The Lord Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses and intercedes for us (Hebrews 4:15-16).
As believers, we have the Holy Spirit to comfort us. In the midst of rejection, it is difficult to find, or even to desire to find, reasons to thank the Lord. However, that is something we are commanded to do, "Rejoice always . . . in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (I Thessalonians 5:16, 18) If you can think of nothing else to be grateful for, thank God for His mercy and grace! Thank Him for the time you did have with the person who rejected you, and for the things He taught you through that person.
On a practical note, something that can help with keeping your mind off of your unhealthy thoughts and emotions is to serve others. Remember that there are others who are still in your life and that they need your love just as much as the last person did. Spend time with other people, and look for ways to demonstrate the love of Christ.
It can be hard to get up and live, but we are not called to dwell on our misfortunes, as tempting as that can be. We are called to live entirely for the Lord and to dwell on the Word and the will of God (Romans 12:1-2).
Feelings of rejection are natural, but when they come, I would encourage you to run to the Lord! Cry out to Him and cast your cares on Him. Remind yourself of His love and His promises (the Psalms, Colossians and I John are wonderful places to start), and then go out and serve Him!
[1] All Scripture references are taken from the New King James Version.
Any kind of rejection — romantic, rejection by a family member or friend, or even rejection by a company you applied to — can leave you with a slew of emotions. Anger, bitterness, loneliness, sorrow, a feeling of worthlessness, and sometimes unexplainable emotions. It can cause you to wonder what you did wrong, what you could have done to keep the rejection from happening. For some, it may even cause despair and the desire to die.
What can be done to stop rejection? Unfortunately, probably nothing. But there is hope and comfort to be found even in the midst of the darkest, most painful moments that come from being rejected.
Our foundational hope is that we have a Savior who is intimately familiar with rejection. The prophet Isaiah wrote, "He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him." (Isaiah 53:3[1])
In His moments of the most excruciating pain, even as He gave Himself as the sacrifice for the sins of mankind, the Savior was despised and rejected. Even the Father turned His face away as Jesus hung on the cross (Matthew 27:46). Our Lord Jesus knows what it is to be rejected by those we love, for He perfectly loves all who rejected Him.
We have the hope, the confident expectation that our Savior will never reject us. The Apostle Paul gives us this hope: "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39) Even if the whole world rejects us, the Lord will continue to love us with permanent, complete love.
When we are rejected, we have someone to run to. The Psalms are full of comfort, and of metaphors of God being our refuge and strength (Psalm 46:1), our rock and our hope (Psalm 42:9, 11), our protector and comfort (Psalm 36:7), and much more. He knows the things we struggle with as a result of rejection; He knows which of our reactions are sinful and which are not. He calls us to "cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you." (I Peter 5:7) The Lord Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses and intercedes for us (Hebrews 4:15-16).
As believers, we have the Holy Spirit to comfort us. In the midst of rejection, it is difficult to find, or even to desire to find, reasons to thank the Lord. However, that is something we are commanded to do, "Rejoice always . . . in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (I Thessalonians 5:16, 18) If you can think of nothing else to be grateful for, thank God for His mercy and grace! Thank Him for the time you did have with the person who rejected you, and for the things He taught you through that person.
On a practical note, something that can help with keeping your mind off of your unhealthy thoughts and emotions is to serve others. Remember that there are others who are still in your life and that they need your love just as much as the last person did. Spend time with other people, and look for ways to demonstrate the love of Christ.
It can be hard to get up and live, but we are not called to dwell on our misfortunes, as tempting as that can be. We are called to live entirely for the Lord and to dwell on the Word and the will of God (Romans 12:1-2).
Feelings of rejection are natural, but when they come, I would encourage you to run to the Lord! Cry out to Him and cast your cares on Him. Remind yourself of His love and His promises (the Psalms, Colossians and I John are wonderful places to start), and then go out and serve Him!
[1] All Scripture references are taken from the New King James Version.
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