It’s startling to ponder that God Incarnate has experienced vulnerability and grief that resembles our own. While it is happening to us, rejection seems like evidence of a personal failure, so there is comforting solidarity in recognizing that Jesus genuinely understands how much it hurts. While we are taught that God never leaves us nor forsakes us, it doesn’t mean every one of us won’t “feel like a motherless child” sometimes, just as the old spiritual laments.
Feelings aren’t facts, though. When we suffer the trauma of rejection, we acknowledge the pain, which is as real as the pain of a broken arm. After we’ve allowed ourselves to grieve, it’s helpful to connect with others who will assure us of our value and remind us we are God’s beloved.
God assures us that we are not alone in our struggle or as we recover our sense of worth. You may want to memorize and repeat Psalm 27:10: “If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up.”
This message is excerpted from “What we learn about rejection from Jesus” by Susan Schneider in the September 2021 Café online magazine. Today we commemorate Peter Claver, priest, missionary to Colombia, 1654.
There’s still time to register to attend the Just Love Gathering in Phoenix, Arizona, September 21-24, 2023. Will we see you there?
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