Core Scripture: “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.” (John 15:18)

Message: Being rejected sucks. 

Whether you are rejected for an idea, by your students, or being promoted to the job you had hoped for, rejection is never easy to stomach.  Especially if you are a people pleaser like me. 

I need that pat on the back, that atta boy to keep me going, and if somebody tears me down in one way or another, there is some serious healing that needs to happen inside of me. 

Can I be frankly honest?  I cannot speak directly to the hurt that has been slowly healing inside me over the past month and a half, but I can say this …

Rejection is a gift.

I had saved a Bible devotion plan on YouVersion that I finally started this week.  Nona Jones wrote a book and created a five-day YouVersion plan called The Gift of Rejection.  As I just finished day three, it has been more than obvious that the Lord has been at work.  In more ways than one.

Let me explain.

I awoke this morning refreshed from sleep and anxious to tackle the day, but Satan tossed a thought in my head as I sat down for my quiet time.  The dude is relentless.  He has tried over and over to tear me apart, but God immediately went to work, fighting my battle for me.  I clicked on the FCA Daily Impact Play devotion to start my quiet time.

With rejection fresh in my mind, I began reading Jessi Giles’ Holy Spirit inspired thoughts.  As a 16-year-old girl, she received a phone call from a college recruiter.  Her scholarship had been given to another athlete. 

Ouch.

This resonated with my athletic career.  I was never the star athlete.  I was always a tweener.  Memories of trying out for the middle school basketball team swept through my mind.  I had made first cuts.  The team was posted on the gym doors.

My parents drove me to Leawood Middle School.  Rain pelted me as I sprinted up to the school.  My hopes of making the team were thwarted as I eagerly scanned the list only to find my name … missing. 

Rejected.

I still remember the coach calling my folks, asking if I wanted to be the team manager.  That probably meant I was the last kid cut from the team.  I couldn’t do it.  I didn’t want to be team manager!  I wanted to be ON the team!  I wasn’t going to be the water boy, pridefully saying no.

Jessi’s story resonated with me all too well, but her perspective enlightened me.  We may have not made the team we wanted, but together, as Christ followers, we were both welcomed onto a different team that means so much more.  God’s team!

God doesn’t make cuts.  Everyone is welcome on His team if you are all in.  What an essential reminder that I so needed to combat the rejection I have been facing! 

When you are rejected, you have a choice.  You can believe the lies infesting your mind, OR you can move past them.  You can focus your heart on wondering what might have been, OR you can focus on the worthwhile things in life mentioned in Philippians 4:8.

My dad’s favorite Bible verse that he would say often to me as a child was Psalm 118:24. It powerfully states, “Today is the day the Lord has made.  Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  Every day brings something new.  Every day we have the choice to choose joy. 

Morgan Freeman’s voice is resonating in my head as I write this.  His quote from Shawshank Redemption is so true: “Get busy living, or get busy dying.”  You know what?  I choose to live.

I choose to give my pain to the Lord.  I choose to allow Him to cleanse me.  I choose to boldly take my next steps into the future.  I have no clue where the Lord is leading me, but I know this … I trust in His plan, and I cannot wait to live it out. 

A message to those who rejected me … I forgive you.  I still love you.  I am healing, and you will forever still be my brothers and sisters in Christ.  The rejection I felt is growing me in the Lord, and I am moving on.  I miss you all.  Once the dust settles, I wonder if we could be friends again.  Time will tell.

Opportunities stand before me.  Some might see them as obstacles.  Not me.  The Lord is making every obstacle seen like an opportunity.  And my story, which is still being written, is sure to bring inspiration to others. 

I challenge you to not see rejection as a burden.  Rejection is a blessing.  A gift from God.  James 1:17 says, “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens.”  Embrace that gift today.

Song application: “Healing” by Big Daddy Weave

For the damage done
For the victories won
For the gift and for the grieving
Letting go and moving on
For the thorn in my side
For the war in my pride
Every single day of darkness
Holding out for morning light

There’s a river that delivers me to freedom
And the current of His mercy brings restoration
If my wounds could tell one story
Let it be a testimony
That You don’t leave me where I’ve been
If this is healing, let it begin

Bible study: Read the following passages about Jesus being rejected and journal or discuss the questions following each passage. 

• Mark 6:1-6: Why was Jesus rejected in His hometown of Nazareth?  How would this treatment make you feel?  How would you deal with it?
• Matthew 23:1-39: How was Jesus rejected by the Pharisees?  Did their disapproval affect His mission?  How did Jesus deal with the Pharisees rejection?
• Luke 22: 1-71: How would it feel for Jesus to be rejected not only by the Pharisees but now His disciples?  What did Jesus cling to as His closest friends abandoned Him one by one?  How can we do the same in the midst of our own rejection?

Video application: Nona Jones has plenty of videos that explain her philosophy about rejection.  Here is one of them.

Prayer points: Lift up the following areas to the Lord …

• Praise God for the gift of rejection!
• Pray that not only teachers but students can face rejection in a positive light.
• Pray for me to embrace the new life before me and not fret about the rejection of the past.

Just for fun: A message for you middle school teachers out there.  Do you struggle with the meaning of the word “skibidi” like me?  I have recently found out that the word has multiple meanings.  Let’s observe …

1. Skibidi can mean “cool.”  For example, I might say something like, “It would be skibidi if you would do your homework.”
2. Skibidi can mean “dumb.”  One might say, “It is so skibidi that we only have 25 minutes for lunch.  I need more time to eat, bruh.”
3. Skibidi can mean “bad.”  A student could declare, “That skibidi video in science class put me to sleep.”
4. Skibidi can mean a stupid meme that makes no sense whatsoever.  As in the skibidi toilet meme below.

Prayer: Father, thank you so much for accepting me as your child and never rejecting me.  Help me cling to this truth as I allow Your perfect healing to cleanse my heart.  Amen.