What is the deepest rejection you have ever felt? The emotional issues surrounding rejection are significant to our overall emotional spiritual health and are actually at the core of what it means to be a Christian.
John 1:11-12 makes it clear that Jesus came to his own - that is, His own people. The ultimate response was rejection. They made it clear that He was not wanted. In fact, they traded Him in for a common criminal.
As I ponder the depth of rejection in the life of Jesus I am reminded that my only hope for enduring rejection is to throw myself upon the rejected Jesus. He bore our rejection through His own life, death and victorious resurrection.
A life redeemed and gospelized will accept rejection as part of the story, but will never lose hope because through Jesus we are accepted by the One who matters - Holy God. I am His child, adopted into Him and never again subjected to being an outcast.
Rejoice and pray for rejects to come and embrace Jesus!
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I have been thinking about this over the last week, reflecting on times that I handled rejection well (from a Gospel viewpoint) and times I have handled it less well.
ReplyDeleteSo much depends, I think, on having a real relationship with God, with Christ. Without that, the information that he loves us no matter what is just more information, with no more or less power than any other information. It is a conscious awareness of his love as something real and palpable that allows us to not just understand that his love trumps human rejection, but to FEEL it.
Ahh. Way to work something out of this, Tom. Props. I've been unable to do so myself.
ReplyDeleteBut, I must wonder how information (not necessarily objective, legislated, or in data form) affects one's ability to believe there is something there. One can feel something but miss the mark. And a lot of unbelievers' hurdle is finding reason to believe what they sense is in some way related to God. Obviously, the will that is willing to have faith is needed. But, if only a very small portion of the picture is there, how can they consciously assume God?
I know my faith came with having a lot more of the picture before hand and that most Christians seem to have some versions worked out well before that needed willingness.
From my view, it really seems information is needed on one level to help propel one into having a "relationship". And I think to focus on only the largest piece of pie is oversimplifying.
Hi Ben, I didn't mean to say the information is unimportant. My comments above were specific to the topic of rejection, and how to feel the knowledge of God's love.
ReplyDeleteBut I absolutely think we need both the relationship, and the knowledge (information) to have a mature faith. I don't think we can have a relationship without knowledge. But I do think we can have knowledge without having the relationship. At least that has been my experience in watching and listening to people over the past few decades.
KK. My bad. Should have been more aware of that. ( just to acknowledge this, that is)
ReplyDeleteNot a bad Ben, just musing out loud. I like your thought provoking comments.
ReplyDelete