Rejected to Accepted

 By Julie Mangrum

Merriam Webster defines rejection as: refusing to accept, consider, hear or receive, to cast off. 

 

Have you ever felt this way? No doubt you have, living in this world. I have been reflecting a lot on the idea of rejection and how it has impacted my own life. I have felt the sting of rejection all of my life -- from those whom I love dearly, from family, from friends, fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, co-workers, and acquaintances. 

 

Being rejected creates (among many things) feelings of worthlessness, uselessness, poor self confidence and self esteem. It can leave scars and wounds that seem to permeate into nearly every corner of our lives. Yes, all humans have experienced it, but by way of sympathy alone, it does not deal with the resultant blows to our emotional and spiritual state. So what are we to do with this rejection?

 

Consider Jesus 

• Hebrews 12:3 NASB — "For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Yes, dear ones, let us consider what our LORD endured. 

• Hebrews 4:15 NASB — "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin."

 He knows what it feels like. 

 

Recently the LORD showed me something in Isaiah 53 I had never paid sufficient attention to. If you haven't read it, I advise you to do so, and this will all make much more sense. 

• Isaiah 53:3 ESV— "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not."

Jesus was despised. Forsaken. Rejected. A man of sorrows.  

We find this prophecy is fulfilled in John 1:10-11. He came to earth knowing this would be His fate. That in and of itself is mind blowing, but then to realize He came not only to bear my sins but also my griefs, my hurts, and my rejection. 

• Isaiah 53:4 ESV — "Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted." 

If Christ experienced such rejection and bore our sorrows and grief for us, we can live in the freedom as believers that we are fully accepted by the Father now and we no longer have to carry such things. Yes, by His wounds our wounds are healed! (Isaiah 53:5) 

 

He came for this 

• Luke 4:18 KJV — “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised."
  

The spiritually poor, spiritual prisoners, spiritually blind -- is that not all of us? Aren't we in great need of Christ's freedom in these things? 

 

So, Christian, walk in freedom, believe the truths in His Word, and receive His sacrifice for your acceptance.  

 

2 Corinthians 5:17 NASB 1995 — Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."

 

  Julie is a 30-something living in the Tennessee valley. She loves the Lord, her sweet husband and 3 dogs. She's passionate about disciplining women, good coffee, baking (and eating) gluten free foods :)