Rejected

Have you ever been rejected. By a spouse. A friend. A boss. Co-workers. Employers. Bankers.

Most people have experienced some form of rejection. Maybe it happened on the playground as a child or even worse in your own home. Maybe it was by a trusted friend who turned on you and never turned back to this day. Rejections stings. It hurts.

Rejection makes you doubt yourself. You beat yourself up thinking you are not good enough. You start contemplating reinventing yourself in the hope for acceptance. Some people go to extremes to get this acceptance. Blurring moral laws and boundaries of righteousness.

I too know the pain of rejection. The rejection has come on personal and professional levels. Rejection is part of life. Is there a place to go where genuine guaranteed acceptance can be found?

No matter how hard we try, what we accomplish, or the great lengths we go to accommodate others there will always be rejection. There is a place we can go to be accepted, embraced, and welcomed. There is someone willing to welcome and accept but compelled at times to reject.

That place is the cross and that person is Jesus. His death on the cross paid a sin debt we could never have paid. If people never come to Jesus they will never know salvation and the greatest acceptance of all. On the other hand, such unrepentant sinners will come to know the ultimate rejection by a holy God spewing wrath on unbelievers. I cannot even put into words the horror of that rejection. An eternal rejection of suffering.

Jesus specializes in accepting. Some of the vilest and worst sinners have been accepted by Jesus, cleansed, forgiven, renewed, and brought into the family. I think of the woman caught in adultery. I think of the demon possessed. I think of hypocrites. I think of drug addicts, adultery, and alcoholics. Jesus has accepted scores and scores of such people. He has accepted prodigals, prostitutes and pushers and pagans. He has loved and welcomed agnostics as well as atheists. His arms are wide, His love is deep, and His grace is greater than our sin.

I may experience much rejection over the remainder of my life. I am very thankful that I find love and acceptance in Jesus. One day I will be accepted into my eternal forever home. What a day that will be when I get to first lay eyes on the one who has accepted me since I was a teenager. Bless His wonderful name. If you are feeling rejected run to Jesus. His arms are open wide.