A Pick-Me-Up From Rejection
by Neil Elmer
We all have experienced rejection. From not being accepted for a job opening to being the last one picked for a team on the playground, from being overlooked for a promotion, to your opinions not being heard, rejection is prevalent in everyday life.
Rejection defeats our longing for acceptance. It deflates our need for love and belonging. The fear of rejection can stop us cold—preventing us from being confident and from asserting ourselves into endeavors that could greatly benefit and advance us.
In ministry, I enjoy helping people overcome feelings of uselessness, loneliness, and forsakenness which can come from the trauma of rejection. Past hurts truly can affect the quality of our lives today. I’m finding that there are truly a lot of people out there who are hurting.
I knew a person who had many good things going for them: an advanced degree, success in business, attractive physique, and they were very articulate. Most would admire these outward characteristics, yet the story was much different on the inside. This person suffered from rejection issues which caused much anxiety, fear, and internal turmoil. These feelings immobilized this person and kept them in pain and discomfort. Prescription medications sometimes helped with the symptoms of anxiety but never dealt with the root causes.
Children are especially susceptible to the hurt of rejection. When a person is told that they are stupid, a failure, or a mistake of a human being, they are being rejected. In these cases, their worth as an individual is being severely attacked. Children, young people, and many adults lack the experience or maturity to know that what someone says about them doesn’t have to define and establish their worth or value in the sight of God, their Creator.
All people have been rejected for some things in their life. An emotionally healthy person can go through set-backs without it becoming a traumatic experience in their life. People need to understand that they aren’t going to be winners at everything all the time yet that they DO have intrinsic value all of the time.
You know? Words are very hurtful things—so are broken promises. Rejections lead to mindsets or paradigms that are life-guiding. Destructive mindsets act as negative strongholds. Because rejection hurts, people develop defense mechanisms to avoid the pain.
In the long-run, this is not a peaceful or joyful way to live life. Scripture tells us that we are so loved by God that the Heavenly Father sent His only begotten Son into the world for us. His sacrifice is because He loves us; He gave Himself for us. In other words—we have value!
In PreScriptures for Life, I wrote a chapter on loneliness and feeling forsaken. I wrote another chapter on your value. These chapters can help you; here are some key verses I share from the Bible that speak to your value and the fact that you truly are never alone. God (and others that maybe you have yet to meet) really do care about you:
John 14:18
“I will not leave you desolate (alone, forsaken): I come unto (to help) you.
Deuteronomy 31:6b
“…he (God) it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”
Ephesians 2:10
“For we are his (God’s) workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works …”
Galatians 2:20b
“…the Son of God, who loved me, and game himself up for me.”
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Neil Elmer is author of the book PreScriptures for Life: A Believer's Guide to Praying Scripture. His ministry helps people achieve peace in life and be set free from the bondages of sin and oppression.
PreScriptures for Life
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