Rejection

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him (2 Peter 2:4)

Rejection is the act of dismissing, excluding, or refusing to accept someone or something. Rejection perceived or real can be painful to the person experiencing the rejection. We were created for community. Created to interact with those around us and when we feel we aren't wanted or accepted, we experience an uncomfortable pain.  No one wants to be rejected, but we live in an imperfect world where we don't always receive the acceptance we are looking for. We must face rejection and understand that acceptance by everyone is not going to happen. If we look at the life of Jesus we'll see that even He was rejected by humans. Jesus, The Son of God, the Messiah was rejected. In fact, it is rejection that place Him on the cross. Talk about painful rejection. Those who rejected Jesus went as far as killing Him. Not just an ordinary death, but a very gruesome, violent death. I journey that included insults, ridicule, beatings, and being spit on, all leading up to the cross. Now that's rejection.

One of my discoveries about my drinking days is the fear of rejection. If I was drinking I didn't feel the sting of rejection, even though most of the rejection was precieved. Yes, rejection is real. However, a lot of our rejection is perceived. Perceived rejection occurs when you interpret a vague, neutral, or absent social cue as a sign that someone is angry with you, dislikes you, or is excluding you. I find myself in this position a lot. Something happens and my brain tells me it's rejection, even when it's not. We must understand that rejection is going to happen from time to time. How we respond is up to us. Like I said, Jesus was rejected. If He was rejected, why should we feel like it won't happen to us. We are not the only ones being rejected. 

The important thing to remember is this, God so loved the world that He gave His on Son, Jesus, to die a gruesome death on a cross so that we could be accepted into His family. Jesus, doesn't reject us, He accepts us. With open arms Jesus accepts us. Even with all of our sins, all of our flaws, Jesus accepts us. Even though the world may reject us we are accept by the Creator of all things. God created us for relationships. He created us so that He could enjoy being in a relationship with us. That's what He wants. Jesus doesn't reject us. Why would He do that when He died on a cross for us. So, next time we feel rejected we can look to the cross and see the loving acceptance of Jesus. So, let the world do what it does. It rejects people who don't go with the flow. Jesus will never reject us. So acknowledge the rejection, experience the pain, and then look to the cross where you will find acceptance in the love of Jesus.