Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Rejected


Rethink church has done it again!  I'm really enjoying their Instagram word of the day photo challenge!  This is the second blog post that has been directly inspired by them.  This morning I looked at the word for today-rejected and my mind began to fill with all the ways rejected applied in my life.


Rejected-I've been rejected by the boy I had a crush on in junior high but you know it was okay because God had the perfect Handsome guy already picked out for me.  I just had to be rejected a few times before I would meet him.  Those rejections taught me to really appreciate and value the "perfect" mate!  One might even say I'm crazy blessed to have him!


Rejected-I've been rejected by friends.  Ones I thought would stand by my side through thick and thin who simply turned away when things got tough.  We all have been stabbed in the back with the malicious words of someone we thought we could trust.  Those rejections have taught me to guard my tongue and to use care with the people with whom I choose to associate.  Momma used to say "if you waller with the hogs you're going to get dirty."  Of course I thought she was crazy until I knew rejection and saw those who had rejected me had a long line behind them of people left feeling hurt and betrayed.  I choose my friends carefully, I may not have lots of friends but the ones I do have in my "tribe" are people who would go to the end for me and I for them.  I sure am crazy blessed to have a few quarters rather than hundreds of pennies in my life!
Rejected-I've been rejected by family.  Ones who don't return phone calls, have only seen my kids a handful of times, refuse to allow us to come visit them when we're in town, ones who still think I'm that 10 year old little girl who doesn't know anything.  Their rejection has taught me to value my parents, my husband and our kids.  It has helped me to work with our kids encouraging them to apologize for the hurts and forgive one another, helping them learn that they can be friends and supporters of one another as they grow older even if they have different lives.  I love that College Girl will call and say, "hey can I come spend the night so I can hang out with my sisters?"  She is working hard to maintain a good, positive relationship.  There I am being crazy blessed again.
Rejected-I love to shop the clearance plants at the garden center, picking up the ones that have been rejected because of a broken blossom or a few smashed leaves.  Bringing them home and nursing them back to vibrancy is a rewarding challenge.  Their rejection has taught me patience and nurturing which flow through to other aspects of my crazy blessed life.


Rejected-all of our pets have been adopted from shelters they were rejected by owners who no longer wanted them.  We've brought them into our homes and our hearts, making them part of our every day lives.  These rejected fur babies have shown me that even the outcasts have love to give and they crazy bless us every day with their love and affection.



Then it was as if I was watching a movie play out before my eyes.  A movie of a story I've read countless times in my life from the book of Matthew chapter 27 the story of Pilate letting the crowd choose between Barabbas and Jesus.  I could see the angry crowd, smell the dust and filth in the air, I could taste the sweat pouring off my face, I could feel the ropes that bound and my heart pounding in my chest as if I was Jesus.  Pilate pointed to Barabbas and the crowd shouted to let him go free and then he pointed a me and the crowd erupted with angry cries of  "Crucify, crucify, crucify...." and my heart broke at that moment I realized I had no idea what rejection was.

I couldn't possibly understand being the most innocent person to ever walk the earth and be rejected by an angry crowd.  He was blameless, innocent as a newborn.  So rejection here on earth by a few people is nothing I can not handle.  Rejection was endured by the Son of God, it can be endured by me too!  I'm privileged that He carried away my guilt, my shame and left me the ability to enjoy my crazy blessed life a little bit stronger after my rejections.

2 comments:

  1. Great stuff! I also like the "reject plants", lol....though I'm not a very good gardener!

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  2. Thanks! I'm not a great gardener but it is very therapeutic-something about God being in nature is so true!

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