Rejection can come from all kinds of sources, and most of us will experience it at some point. We might have a university or job application rejected. An idea we’ve had or a piece of work we’ve done might be rejected. We might experience rejection in a relationship. When we’re struggling and hurting with the pain of rejection, it can often show itself in things like these: 1) Perfectionism. But this doesn’t fulfil us, because we’re not perfect – only God is – so we’ll never reach the impossibly high standards we’ve set for ourselves. 2) People pleasing. But other people’s needs and expectations vary so much, which makes it impossible for us to keep everyone happy. 3) Becoming defensive. Rejection can feel very much like a personal attack (even if it’s not meant to be), so we try to protect ourselves by attacking back. But harsh words spoken with an angry temper just escalate the problem. 4) Isolation. We want to protect ourselves, so we might try to distance ourselves from others to avoid being criticised and rejected again. But that can lead to loneliness and bitterness, as well as missing out on some of the great connections God’s planned for us. Rejection is never an easy thing to take. But there’s one thing we can be sure of: God will never reject us. He values every one of us. We’re unique, wonderfully made by Him. ‘Think how much the Father loves us. He loves us so much that he lets us be called his children, as we truly are.’ When we accept how much He loves and values us, other people’s opinions won’t matter nearly as much to us.

What Now?

Memorise a couple of Bible verses that talk about how much God values you, then you can call them to mind whenever you face any type of rejection.