You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest
regions, and said to you, "You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not
rejected you; fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your
God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with My
righteous right hand."
~ Isaiah 41:9-10
Rejection is one of our deepest fears. It seems that everyday, we are being
judged by people we meet...do we measure up to some invisible standard that
society says we all have to reach? Or do we fall short? How many of us
remember what it was like when we were in elementary school, and teams were
being picked? Were some of you like me, the last one chosen? I remember how
hard it was at times, being the new kid in school. I grew up in the military
and my parents were divorced, so I moved nearly every year, and every year, I
had to face the struggle of trying to fit in at a new school and make new
friends. Sometimes I was lucky and found a place right away - other times, I
was the odd person out. But the fear of rejection was very real for me, and
it was never easy to overcome.
That fear of rejection can haunt you in relationships you have right now -
even more, it can hinder your relationship with God. If people can reject you
so casually, how can God, the creator of the universe, accept you? The world
judges people based on superficial things, and we tend to forget that God
looks at your heart, and He would never reject you. God knows who you are -
He searched you out from the ends of the earth, and He called you by name. He
has chosen you and has not rejected you, and He has promised to strengthen you
and uphold you.
God gave His only begotten Son that you might not perish, but would have
everlasting life....there's no rejection to be found there! All you need to
do is turn to Him right now, and ask Him to accept you, and He will. And you
know something? He'll always choose you....He'll never turn His back on you,
He'll never tell you you aren't good enough for Him, He'll never ridicule or
laugh at you. Instead, He'll uphold you with His righteous right hand.
Lord, each of us fears rejection in one form or another. Help us to step out
beyond that fear, to trust in the love You have so freely given us, and to
share that same love with those we meet. Help us not to judge people based on
superficial things, open our eyes to see them as You see them, Lord. As we
turn to You, knowing that You will never reject us, strengthen us and help us,
we pray.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
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