Rejection!

March 7, 2024

Rejection!

Rejection is difficult.  Two weeks ago, my wife called for me to look at our patio door.  As I approached, she coached me to be quick but quiet.  She pointed to the other side of our backyard fence; there were five young male elk grazing in the grass.  (Later we found evidence they had been in our backyard!)    

Unless you are from Loveland, you may not be aware that the city has its own wild elk herd.  Almost every day, folks on Facebook keep every one informed as to where the elk are hanging out.  We learned the main herd was about one south and west of us.

So, what were these five young male elk doing around our neighborhood for several days?  The long and short of it is these five young guys had been rejected by the herd. 

The dominant bull elk had driven the five younger bulls away from the herd.  The annual experience of rejection has much to do with the elk mating season.  You can Google that topic if you like!

The five rejected elk near our backyard reminds me that we, too, experience all kinds of rejection.  Here are just a few experiences that can leave us feeling rejected.

Your best friend goes out with your girl/boy friend.

You don’t make first string on the team.

You don’t get the dream job for which you interviewed.

You get the cold shoulder when you approach a group of friends.

Your debit card will not make the purchase.

A family raped you when you were 12 years old.

Your girl friend says the two of you are “just friends.”

Your mother relentlessly abused you when you were young.

You are asked to leave the group of which you are a part.

You are told you have never or will never measure up.

You get the point!  There are many different experiences of rejection.  But, what happens after we feel rejected? 

Sometimes we respond to the hurt by withdrawing. 

Sometimes we respond to the hurt by getting angry or sad. 

Sometimes we respond to the hurt by trying to prove ourselves worthy.

Sometimes we respond to the hurt by becoming abusive or manipulative.

Rejection hurts…deeply!  We feel separated, alone, and misunderstood.  We feel deserted, discarded, and dismissed.  We feel abandoned, unwanted, and unloved.

The good news is that the Son of God understands our experiences of rejection.  In Mark 8:31 we hear; “Then he (Jesus) began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes and be killed and after three days rise again.”

Jesus was rejected by the very ones for whom he came to live and love as well as suffer and die.  Even though Jesus’ love for people was unconditional and without limit, the recipients of His love still rejected Him.  Cruel comments, being chased down like a criminal, brutal lashings, and death of a cross are just the beginning of the ways in which Jesus experienced rejection.

We see in Jesus that sometimes the most painful experience of rejection is perpetrated by the ones we love most.  That’s hard to understand, to forgive, to get past. 

Rejection is difficult to get beyond.  Sometimes we take the pain of rejection and begin to project it on Jesus.  If my father rejected me, if my best friend rejected me, if my spouse rejected me then surely Jesus will reject me, too.

The Apostle Paul was writing to several churches in Rome who were enduring intense persecution and deadly violence.  The reality is they and their faith in Jesus had been rejected by the Roman government.  Paul writes to reassure those Christ-followers that although they are being rejected by other people, the Lord God will not reject them.

In Romans 11:1-2 Paul writes; “I ask, then, has God rejected his people?  By no means!  I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.  God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.” 

Paul experienced the kind of rejection that comes when people put all kinds of labels on us.  Paul was rejected in the Christian community because of his Jewish background, culture, and faith. 

For you and me, it might be our skin color, our cultural background, or the length of time we have been a citizen in this country.  It might also be where we live, the type of job we do, or where we went to school. 

The good news is Jesus does not reject you and me, Jesus does not reject our love for God, and Jesus does not reject our prayers.  In Psalm 66:20 we hear; “Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me.”  Jesus loves us, accepts us, and wants us when we are not sure other people still do.

When the hurt of rejection is still deep, it is hard to hear anything but the voices that tell us we are not good enough, we are not wanted, and we are not loved.  We can easily become stuck in the downward spiral of rejection. 

I invite you to hear a different voice today.  Listen for the voice of Jesus who tells you He loves you, accepts you, and wants you.  When you receive this good news, your heart will begin to fill with delight in the Lord rather than doubt and anger and hurt.

Take Delight In The Lord!

Doug