In week one of our current series ME, we talked about how even when we feel rejected, we’re not. We are loved by God!

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” J​ohn 3:16 (NIV)

ME -​­ Week 1

That’s a terrible word, right? When we get rejected, we feel every bit the reject. We feel like the one who didn’t measure up—like the one who is unworthy of acceptance. Rejection can occur any day, in any stage of life. For example, maybe you didn’t get that job you wanted. Your marriage dissolved. Friendships faded. Your children grew up and moved away.

Have you ever left out a can of playdough? What happens to it? Over time, it hardens, right? It’s no longer malleable or useful. The pain and embarrassment associated with rejection can be so acute that, if we’re not careful, our hearts can do the same thing. Our hearts become so hard and bitter that we don’t function as the loving, life­giving followers of Christ that we’re called to be. But, unlike playdough, that hardness can be temporary.

If you feel rejected in some area of your life right now, or if you’ve been hurt by rejection in the past, you’re in good company. No one knows better how it feels to be rejected than Jesus.

He [Jesus] was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way…But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed (Isaiah 53:3, 5 NLT).

Not only was Jesus rejected, but He was rejected by the same people He loved and died for. Our heavenly Father wants to extend grace and empathy to us—He wants us to be “whole,” and “healed.”