Rejected?

Rejection sucks! Yet, life is full of it.

We’ve all faced rejection at some point in life. Whether we’ve been rejected from a job, family, relationship, or group.

Let’s take it a step further. What about feeling rejected for who you are?

The feeling that you will never be good enough – no matter what you say, what you have, or what you accomplish.

To me, this is the greatest feeling of rejection that one could possibly feel.

Have you felt it? I’ve felt it. And I’m sure JESUS felt it. But that didn’t stop Him.

So how do WE push forward?

How do we move on from yet another job interview that resulted in a “We went with another candidate”.

How do we ignore judgment from others when we choose a different path in life?

How do we stand confidently when choosing to separate ourselves from others that threaten our walk with God?

How do we feel like we are accepted while living in a world that constantly rejects us?

Let’s look at the greatest example: Jesus.

What kept Jesus going was His purpose.

No matter who He encountered, what He faced, or how much He suffered, He kept His purpose in mind.

He knew that if He gave up, people everywhere would die, not only physically, but spiritually.

He knew that if He let the naysayers bring Him down, people wouldn’t come to see the love of God.

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

John 10:10 NKJV

More than anything, He wanted to follow the will of the Father and be the example we are called to be.

Without this sacrificial love, we wouldn’t have been saved from our sins.

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

John 15:13 NKJV

This is why Jesus pressed forward.

This is why we press forward.

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”

1 John 4:7

We press forward because we have PURPOSE. God has given us purpose and hope.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV

And He doesn’t expect us to do all of this on our own. God promises to be our strength and walk with us every step of the way.

“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

“For I, the Lord God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.”

Isaiah 41:10, 13 NKJV

When we choose to live a life that is pleasing to God, we stand out and are marked “different” and even rejected by most that don’t agree.

“If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”

John 15:19 NKJV

But remember, God gives us hope! We must remember our purpose. And don’t forget, that YOU ARE LOVED.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

John 3:16 NKJV

Rejection is hard. But we can overcome evil with good with God’s help.

We can overcome this by remembering that our purpose is more significant than our feelings.

We can overcome this by remembering that if we give up because of rejection, we miss out on helping others.

We can overcome this by remembering that we are loved.

Be encouraged today that even if we are rejected by everyone on this Earth, God does not reject us. He loves us. He has given us purpose. He is our strength.