Rejection's Sting

The sting of rejection is one of the worst emotional injuries. It cuts deep and can leave lasting scars. It can be difficult to bounce back from and without inwardly examining it, rejection can alter how you feel about yourself.

Most of us have experienced a form of rejection in varying degrees. After experiencing it on a very deep level myself, I came to the realization that I had been working tirelessly for my entire existence at avoiding it. For me, this came in the form of peacekeeping, people pleasing, and avoidance...none of which I recommend :). While it was excruciatingly painful to work through (and still work through), rejection has taught me the greatest lessons of all. I believe that there are lessons to be learned for you as well if you choose to invite God into your rejection.

Here are a few of the key things God revealed to me through rejection:

1. Even if others don't love me well, God loves me perfectly. Even when others disappoint me, exclude me, and misunderstand me, God covers me in His love and grace. There is so much comfort to be found in this truth.

2. People are broken (including ME) and act from their brokenness sometimes. I think the expression is "hurt people hurt people." God showed me how to see others who have rejected me through His eyes and to extend grace. When graces moves in, the bitterness surrounding your rejection starts to fade. Without the bitterness, your heart can begin to heal.

3. Some people and circumstances (job opportunities, etc.) are meant to be in our lives and others are not. I don't say this in a cliché or simple way because it is much more complicated than that, but I have started to see that God is often protecting us from or saving us for something when rejection takes place. I love to think that rejection wasn't intended to break you, but rather take you to where you need to be. God's plans are always better than ours and we need to trust Him.

4. Rejection is humbling. I truly believe that the people who have been humbled the most, have the ability to serve others best. We can empathize and relate in a genuine way because we have faced some of the same hurt.

So many valuable lessons come out of our greatest hurts. I am thankful for the opportunity to come to the end of myself and fully surrender my life over to the much more capable hands of my father, who continually seeks after me and sees me through rejection's sting.