When Rejection Hits

Four years ago I had my sketch of a magnolia flower and the word “beloved” tattooed on my wrist. In this gut-wrenching season of life I needed a daily reminder of who God says I am because the sting of broken relationships had left me with so much pain I wasn’t sure I would survive until the next day.

I was lonely and my emotions would spiral when I concentrated on the rejection I felt. I needed to remember that no matter how ugly my situation was, Jesus was pursuing me. Wanted me. Loved me.

Without tremendous, undeserved grace, God is constantly moving toward us. The Bible is abundantly clear that Jesus pursues us—and even died for us—despite our ugliness.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” Ephesians 2:4-5

I love the way both of these verses specifically call out the reason God would put everything on the line for people who are always messing up—“because of his great love for us.” Love is who he is—a constant—not something he occasionally chooses to show.

God’s Kingdom has often been referred to as upside down because his character and actions seem to be the exact opposite of what we’d expect, or what humans would do. My life story contains too many heartbreaking moments of abandonment. People I loved—who were supposed to love and care for me—moving away from me instead of moving toward me. Sometimes it was in reaction to mistakes I made, and other times seemed to be for no reason at all. Whatever the reason, rejection hurts.

In God’s upside down Kingdom, however, when others might reject or move away from us, God calls us Beloved. If you haven’t seen many people run toward you in your worst moments, especially your parents or your family, it might be hard to believe, or even imagine, the Creator of the Universe running toward you in love instead of turning away in disgust.

Incredibly, this isn’t the Sunday-best, polished, best behavior version of you. This is the grimy, gross, bad decision, nasty attitude version of you. He wants to be in relationship with you—even the version of yourself you’ve never been brave enough to let other people see.

There is no version of yourself—or dirty little secret—that will cause Jesus to reject you. If you love Jesus, Beloved is your name and that won’t ever change.

“Whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” John 6:37

You can let down your hair, put your comfy pants on, and rest in him. Fully you, and fully beloved.

Let me urge you to memorize this verse for your heart to recall in the times you feel rejected:

(From a blessing Moses spoke over the Israelites before his death)

“Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders.” Deuteronomy 33:12 NIV