Embracing Rejection – Leah Wilkes
John 7:5
“For not even His brothers believed in Him”
When others don’t believe in what God has said about you, be blessed, you have been honored to walk a path similar to the one Jesus trod. A path… of rejection.
When others can’t see the call, know that He who made that call holds all authority and the keys to every door you will ever need to walk through. When others sneer at and even misjudge your being used by God, know that such treatment earns you special blessings –
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Mat 5:11-12
Rejoice and be glad, your reward is great, in Heaven. Jesus, prophet and king, faced endless rejection. Family and friends failed and forsook Him, but never once did He doubt what was supposed to come out of His life – the redemption of mankind. Our Good Shepherd walked this path before us as an example of how the world, and even at times the church, can reject what God has appointed. His example shows us, not only the calm steadfastness of Christ in the face of loneliness and heartache, but also the continuation of the call and the accomplishment of God’s work. Rejection doesn’t nullify the call. Abandonment doesn’t decrease the anointing. Persecution doesn’t hinder the work of God. Nay, all of these have been known only to further ignite the burning embers of God’s call.
“For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the LORD will take me in.” Psalm 27:10
Should even mother and father renounce and reject you, you my friend, are not abandoned. There is One who can bring comfort and strength that affects the depths of your soul more than having support from your every friend and relative could ever hope to impart. No, there is not one person who can satisfy your need for affirmation, and there is not one person that can tear the call of God from your life.
Out of my distress I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The LORD is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.
Ps 118:5-9
So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” Heb 13:6
Why does this dagger of rejection come? Oh, a myriad of reasons. For some there is a need of humbling, for others a need to remove the needless crutches of man’s opinion and affirmation… and for others, to teach them the depth of pain rejection causes, and to prepare them, by the grace of God, not to inflict such judgement upon others.
Let rejection have its work.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
James 1:2-4
Rejection is not the end, but the honorable beginnings of walking through the same faith-building heartache of Noah, Joseph, David and Abraham. Look upon rejection as nutrient rich earth that, though it bury you from sight in darkness and gloom, will in fact bring you forth, stronger and richer, free from the crutches and chains of man’s opinion. Behold! Where once was a weak and tiny shoot, a mighty oak presides! Surely only God can bring about such a transformation!
If my heart could tell a story
If my life would sing a song
If I have a testimony
If I have anything at all –
No one ever cared for me like Jesus
His faithful hand has held me all this way
And when I’m old and grey
And all my days are numbered on the earth
Let it be known in you alone
My joy was found