Shared Rejection
When we are hurt by another person, it is inevitably a form of rejection.
Rejection may be for our what we are on the outside, who we are on the inside, or of our love ...
Rejection may be expressed as withdrawal of time, respect, love ...
Rejection may cause injury maliciously, thoughtlessly, unintentionally ...
For it is not an enemy who reproaches me;
Then I could bear it...
But it was you ... My companion.
~ Psalms 55:12-13 (NKJV)
Those for whom we care most have the ability to reject and hurt us most powerfully.
"Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' "
~ Matthew 25:44-45 (NKJV)
When we reject others and hurt them, we hurt Jesus. Whatever pain we inflict on another, we also inflict on the God Who took all sin and rejection upon His shoulders and bore it to Calvary.
"He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me."
~ Luke 10:16 (NKJV)
Just as the pain we inflict on others is also inflicted upon their Creator, He shares the pain of rejection we suffer. If we are rejected for sharing Him or displaying His righteousness, He is also rejected.
God joins us in our suffering whether we acknowledge Him or not.
He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
~ Isaiah 53:3 (NKJV)
Jesus suffered the consummate rejection. He understands our pain firsthand."How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?”
~ Numbers 14:11 (NKJV)
The rejection and hurt God suffered at Calvary began at the Garden of Eden, and has continued throughout history until now. The Israelites rejected Him in the desert, unbelievers reject Him when they refuse the Gospel—and His children reject Him when we fail to yield to the promptings of His Holy Spirit. The grief of Calvary has continued unabated for our God.
... that I may know Him ... and the fellowship of His sufferings.
~ Philippians 3:10 (NKJV)
When we are rejected, despised, hurt, we have opportunity to feel the pain of God and share His suffering. God joins us in our suffering whether we acknowledge Him or not.
And at such a time we have opportunity to comfort the grief of God Almighty with no more than our fellowship.
"A friend is someone who helps you up when you're down, and if they can't they lie down beside you and listen." ~ Unknown
Contrasting points-of-view, questions and feedback are invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
#suffering
"Thumbs Down" Image source pennsylvaniafiduciarylitigation.com
"Rejection" Image source hanapestle.com
Image of Jesus from the movie "The Passion of the Christ" © 2004 NewMarket Films
My husband often says no one else on earth has the power to make or break his day like me. I feel the same about him. We carry so much power, we need to use it wisely.
ReplyDeleteThank you for being a friend, Anne.
ReplyDeleteThat Psalms verse got to me. I hope that the Holy Spirit works on me/in me any time I hurt someone so I can ask forgiveness and learn to love with a humble heart.
~ Wendy
I usually am here with a text-only browser, so I just saw that "Halle-lu Ya" photo at the bottom. Oh, how I wish I could WORSHIP with you. I look forward to the day when I can DANCE and SING with you, woman of worship.
ReplyDeleteGod always shares my hurts, and makes them better. I praise Him for that.
ReplyDeleteAmen to Philippians 3:10.
ReplyDeleteThe Lord whispered Phil 3:12 to me this morning.. and now your post takes me back a little bit more.
If someone has never been betrayed, hurt, rejected, reproached or so on ~ it is hard to understand how someone who has experienced these things feels. You are right ~ Christ knows and shares with us in our experiences and our experiences lets us share in His. Therein lies the blessing.
ReplyDeleteGreat reminder, Anne. Something I've always said and try to remember: See everything in light of the cross. If we do that our perspective and response will always carry an eternal impact.
ReplyDeleteyeah...that picture of jesus gets me every time...
ReplyDeleteThis post, and the pictures, are so beautiful and rich, Anne. I have nothing to add...just wow.
ReplyDeleteT ~ Your words are true, and scary. May God have mercy on us and give us grace to use such power wisely.
ReplyDeleteWendy ~ The power of Scripture as a "two-edged sword, piercing ... a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" was exactly what made me fall in love with God's Word 25 yrs ago.
Monica ~ That photo was taken in December 2009, after a nearly 20 year wait to do choreographed worship dance with a team. And we will dance together, we will. The wait won't really be so long. (And thanks for that incredible tweet.)
Denise ~ He makes our hurts better in making us better.
FireFly ~ That's such a powerful chapter, like Romans 8. Go back two more verses: "I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish." When I suffer hurt or rejection, I need only remember the privilege of knowing God. Think of it! God Almighty allows me to know Him, personally and intimately! *sigh* What more could we ask for to sustain us.
Patty ~ As incredible as it is to know God, I stand in awe that He would share with us the fellowship of His suffering. We'll readily share our joys. With how many people do we share our griefs? He amazes me, continually, magnificently.
Jason ~ Without eyes for the eternal, how would we make it through the temporal?
B'ahava / Katy ~ I don't allow myself to watch that movie too often. I don't want it to lose its impact. I want to feel the pain of what my Savior did for me.
Gwen ~ Our God is so incredible. How blessed I am to know you and I will spend eternity in His presence. I need nothing more. Truly. I forget sometimes, but I really do need nothing more than that knowledge.
"When we reject others and hurt them, we hurt Jesus."
ReplyDeleteThat's scary. It takes me beyond the emotional aspect of hating rejection and rejecting others, but definitely gives it a level of seriousness beyond emotionality. Great post!
Like I said, you don't pull punches ... in a good way. You're always calling us to stretch and get straight to the core of things.
ReplyDeleteI esp. appreciated this post in light of Easter coming up. Thank you, Anne for putting so much thought & heart in this.
What a touching post. I never thought about the fact that when i'm rejected I can further identify with Christ. Thanks for giving me something to think about.
ReplyDeleteJML ~ Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate knowing I've shared something to help give a different perspective.
ReplyDeleteBonnie ~ Before your invitation to write on rejection, I'd been thinking about these things for Holy Week. I may expand on it then. And thank you for the thought-provoking topic.
Melissa Rae ~ I think the more we identify with Christ, the more we'll grow to be like Him in all ways.