Rejected

Have you ever been in the awful position of feeling rejected? Being an outcast from a group or community can leave permanent scars. Many of us shudder when we think about our middle school and high school experiences. One of my scars from 7th grade came from three of my closest friends. The four of us first became friends in the 5th grade in the small town of Ellendale, ND. We were drawn together by our stature (we were the shortest ones in our class) and in our interests (wrestling, band, and drawing). We did most everything together: eat lunch together, shoot spit-wads at each other during class, and even during the summer we spent each day at the city pool. I have great memories of the four of us hanging out together, but during the fall of 7th grade something changed. It seemed like overnight they decided four was too many, and it would be just the three of them. They excluded me from any contact, didn’t talk to me even when I would talk directly too them, and purposefully avoided me in any activity. After a couple of weeks, I felt completely rejected…an outcast. 7th grade was a black hole of insecurity and loneliness.

Rejection by friends, or even worse family, may be at the top of life challenges. In my study of Judges, there was one man, who rejected by his family, was driven out of his family land and made an outcast, simply because he was a half-brother, the son of a prostitute. This man named, Jephthah, must have had many scars of anger, bitterness, loneliness, and isolation from his family clan. Yet, the irony to his story is that years later when his family community was under a serious threat, the elders came and pleaded with him to lead an army against their enemies, to be the savior of the very same people that rejected him and made him an outcast. God honored Jephthah’s return to lead his people and gave him victory and the title of Judge of Israel. Read the full story in Judges 11 & 12.

Jesus experienced rejection as well.

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him…”See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” – 1 Peter 2:4 & 6.

The rejection of Christ by the very same people he loved and wept over, those he healed of leprosy, blindness and disease, those he ate with in their homes, those he taught the way to the Kingdom of Heaven, those he called his family, and to all for whom he died for. Rejection of the Son of God, who bears the scars on his back from the Roman whip, the nail pierced wounds in his hands and feet, and the scars of rejection on his heart by those he suffered and died for…by those he loves.

Today in my prayers I ask for forgiveness in my neglect of time, love, appreciation and friendship to Jesus, my Lord and Savior. Today may each moment be filled with appreciation, acceptance and joy of having Christ present in my daily journey. As the scripture says, He is rejected by men, but chosen and precious by God, and if I put my trust in Him, He will never reject me.