November 18, 2021
Letting Go of Rejection
Barb Roose
Today’s Truth
God will never walk away from his people never desert his precious people (Psalm 94:14 The Message).
Friend to Friend
When Lara was taken by ambulance to the hospital for a suspected stroke, her husband called her adult daughter to let her know. Lara’s daughter said that she’d heard about the stroke but she wasn’t coming to the hospital. A few months later, Lara was at the grocery store and saw her daughter pushing a cart down the same aisle. As soon as her daughter looked up and saw Lara, the daughter wheeled her cart around and went the other direction.
As Lara wept in deep heartache, she wondered, where did I go wrong? Why doesn’t she want me to be a part of her life?
Rejection. It is so painful, isn’t it? Even if you know why someone ended your friendship, walked away from your marriage, ghosted you after a few dates or simply vanished from your life, it doesn’t necessarily stop the pain. Did you know that researchers have studied rejection and found that emotional pain is similar to physical pain? When we’re in pain, it’s easy for lies, such as the person left because there was something wrong with you, to begin sticking to the walls of our mind. Another popular lie is that no one can understand how painful and broken you feel after being rejected.
Jesus understands.
Jesus knew that He would be rejected before He even stepped into our world. Centuries before Jesus’s birth, the prophet Isaiah wrote that Jesus would be “despised and rejected by mankind” (Isaiah 53:3). Jesus came to earth knowing that God’s chosen people, Jesus’s own people, would not only say “no” to having a relationship with Him, but would also voice the ultimate rejection when they shouted, “Crucify Him!” (Matthew 27:22-23).
Imagine what it must have been like for Jesus to look up through his swollen and bloody eyes to see the people who once begged him for healing now screaming for His death. How awful the emotional pain as His bruised body dragged His cross toward Golgotha while the people cursed Him even though a short time before they’d clamored to see Him teach and perform miracles.
Perhaps thinking about how Jesus was rejected has triggered your rejection memories. Maybe you remember the times that you spent with someone or the gifts that you gave. In the wake of their silence or their refusal to reconcile you might be asking how they could forget about all that you’ve done for them. You might even be angry or feel used.
How do we deal with the rejection? More importantly, how do we let it go?
There’s the temptation to believe that if the person or people who rejected you came back, then you would feel better. Yet, the rejection would still have happened and you’d still have to deal with the original rejection as well as the fear of it happening again.
The better path is to invite God to fill that empty space with His healing love. Letting go of rejection begins with ruthlessly leaning into God’s foundation of love and connection that another person can never take away from you. That foundation is constructed of two parts: a spiritual pillar and a practical pillar. As you review these two practical application steps, which one resonates with you most today?
Spiritual Pillar:
Trust that God will never abandon you, even if you’ve rejected Him.
Today’s Truth reminds us that God will never desert us, even if others choose to leave. God’s love for you cannot be lost or earned (Romans 5:8). His love is steadfast, and you can always count on it (Romans 8:38-39).
Practical Pillar:
QTIP – Quit Taking It Personally.
Other people’s actions do not determine your worthiness for love or connection.
And always remember: “God will never walk away from his people never desert his precious people” (Psalm 94:14 The Message).
Let’s Pray
God, I need to ruthlessly lean into Your love for me. I am so grateful that You will never leave me. Fill my heart with the knowledge of Your love and heal the wounds of rejection so I can live full of hope again. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
What does Jesus’s example teach you about rejection that helps you let go today?
How can the two pillars in today’s devotion apply to your life today?
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© 2021 by Barb Roose. All rights reserved.
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Originally published Thursday, 18 November 2021.
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