Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? to be out of your sight? If I climb to the sky, you’re there! If I go underground, you’re there! If I flew on morning’s wings to the far western horizon, you’d find me in a minute—you’re already there waiting! Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark! At night I’m immersed in the light!” It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you; night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you. (Psalm 139:7-12)
Useless. Unsatisfactory. Not measuring up. One of the "darkest" places to be is in the place of rejection. There we find the individual actually believing they have no purpose in our lives - discarded by those who should accept them, oftentimes refusing to accept them and what they bring into their lives. One of the toughest things to learn to do with people who treat others as though they are "rejects" in this earth is to NOT reject them because of their "actions" of intolerance or superior judgment! It is only natural to want to reject those who hurt us, abuse us, or treat some of us as though our sins are too great to be forgiven. It is also a very dangerous place to tread - because when we move into a place of judge in their lives - a place ONLY God can occupy - we are treading on very shaky ground. I don't want to focus on the one who rejects so much as on the one who has been rejected today. The place of darkness this rejection creates in the lives of those who suffer at the hands of those who reject them is almost insurmountable - leading some to do unspeakable things - even the thought of taking one's own life.
What does an individual who is being rejected experience? The gamut of emotions range from being angry at those who reject them to feeling immensely useless and hopeless are quite common to those who have been rejected by others. In fact, the list of emotional ups and downs is probably too large to even begin to consider here this morning. Suffice it to say, rejection wreaks havoc on our emotions - and in turn, on our self-image, our ability to relate to others in the future, and the desire to ever begin to trust again. Why? Trust has been grossly violated. We placed some fragment of trust in the one who rejected us - now it is difficult to want to ever trust again. Relationships become a thing we fear rather than embrace. How we see ourselves is "shaded" by the impression the rejection has left - much like a hand print in wet cement hardens in time, always reflecting the impression left behind by the influence of the pressure exerted when the cement was at its most "form-able" phase.
Here we find the psalmist's heart exposing some of the anguish of his own rejection - he had been hurt by his closest of friends, wounded by children who just did not seem to understand the importance of his wisdom, and guilt-ridden in his own shame over sins he had committed. Sound like anyone we might know? I know his "experiences" in life hit close to home for me - this is probably why I associate so closely with David's teachings, and those of his son, Solomon. The heart of David constantly cried out to God for mercy. Truth be told...the heart of this gal constantly cries out to God for more grace, more mercy, more of Christ in me. David is eloquent in describing just how one who experiences rejection "feels". They want to escape the pain. They look for a place to curl up so they can hide from the anguish of the rejection. There is an attempt to flee the pain - looking high and low for the thing which will cover over the intense sting rejection leaves. One who has been rejected by another wants to be out of sight - for even seeing themselves hurts!
We can try to escape God's Spirit, but where can we actually "go" to flee from God's compassion and his grace? The answer: NOWHERE! Why is it we are trying to escape God's Spirit anyway? Isn't it because we don't even believe God loves us at the point where we are experiencing such rejection from others? Does it come as any surprise to you to see Satan's "design" in the very actions of rejection? His goal is to get us AWAY (and keep us away) from the very thing which we need the most! His greatest joy comes when we flee from God! His greatest fear is when we run to God! We cannot avoid the Spirit of God. He is even there when we attempt to avoid him. We might purposefully attempt to avoid encountering him, but he purposefully pursues us anyway! We try to cover up or hide - not because we ARE unworthy, but because we FEEL unworthy. We believe the lie rejection brings - no one, not even God, wants us. The furthest thing is true - even when NO ONE wants us, God loves us deeply, embraces us closely, and believes in us immensely. When we feel the sting of rejection, it is natural to want to do one of two things. Either we begin to live a lie - falsely escalating in joyful cheer, making the others think all is well with us, or we attempt to flee underground, trying to escape without further "damages" being experienced.
The most amazing part of this God's just being THERE. Not by accident, but because he has determined to be waiting for us wherever we attempt to flee! Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark! At night I’m immersed in the light!” It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you; night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you. Even in our darkest place, God immerses us in his light! Darkness isn't darkness to God! In fact, no darkness dwells where God is - God is everywhere we are, so where we are is in light, not darkness! I don't know the havoc rejection has brought into your life, but here's the hope I want you to find - God is not the author of this rejection! He is the author of YOU. As the author, he can re-write anything in your life which causes you pain. Sometimes it is in the actions of forgiving the one who rejected you. At other times, it is in the actions of coming out of hiding, learning to be comfortable with who you are and how God made you - all your quirks and hang-ups included. No "chapter" of your life is written in stone - except the Chapter of Grace! The author has seen to it that GRACE will always be a part of your life! First, grace to you - then, grace through you! God's grace is waiting to embrace you in this your most darkest of hours! Reach out - take his hand - he is already there waiting! Just sayin!
A daily study in the Word of God. Simple, life-transforming tools to help you grow in Christ.
Showing posts with label Rejection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rejection. Show all posts
Thursday, June 17, 2021
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Exchange of Ownership
He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!
What does it mean to be despised? It means that we have more than a little "bad feeling" toward someone - it carries the idea of feelings of deep contempt - finding the individual or their actions so disdainful that we simply cannot tolerate them. To look at someone with disdain is to regard them or their actions as 'unworthy' of our focus or attention. There have definitely been times people have looked down their nose at me, or brushed me off as though my opinion or idea didn't matter - they just didn't see me as "worthy" of their focus or attention. To couple this with such feeling of "ill-will" that you actually want to bring harm to another or see them suffer in some painful way is quite a different matter. Many viewed Christ in just this way - wanting nothing more than to discount his words, or find reasons for his amazing actions apart from their true meaning or origin. Part of rejecting someone is this idea of "turning one's back" on them. We don't face them because we don't see them as worthy of our focus, attention, or time.
What comes next is oftentimes the hardest thing for us to deal with in life - we stop caring about that other individual. The rejection part is made easier because we no longer interact, have time with, or even frequent the places where the one we have rejected goes. In some cultures, when a family member or member of their community "crosses the line" between what they will tolerate and what is clearly something they cannot or will not tolerate, they reject that member. There is an absolute "cutting off" of that person from fellowship with their family, friends, and neighbors. They are as the "unseen" - no longer noticed, acknowledged, or given any attention. As Christ walked this earth, he was rejected in such a manner by some you would never have expected to have rejected him: the religious!
Maybe this is why God puts such a value on relationship and really doesn't focus on our "religious" pursuits as much, for he often declared the sacrifices didn't matter as much as the heart of the one who was bringing those sacrifices. He realizes far better than we do that "religious pursuits" are not something that we can rely upon to always give us clear thinking and upright actions. We can follow all the rules and clearly miss the point or place of grace in our lives! We can adhere to all the testaments of a religion's doctrine and miss totally the connection which comes only when there is an exchange of "ownership" of one's life. I think it is this exchange of "ownership" thing that gives so many the real "hang up" when it comes to following Christ.
It is when we exchange our sin for his grace - admitting our "ownership" of our lives hasn't yielded much in the way of truly making us "righteous" - that we come to the place of recognizing it wasn't his sins he carried to the cross, but ours (and they were weighty sins to boot)! We might want to believe we are pretty "good" people, not really doing much that is "bad" or "unrighteous" in the course of our lives. Sure, we tell the occasional "white lie", but let me ask you this - is a white lie any less an untruth than another type of a lie? Anytime there is a degree of untruth, no matter how small, it is still not truth! Even the small things we discount as not mattering add to the weight of what he took to the cross on our behalf!
We can turn our backs on Jesus all we want, but he still pursues us. His heart yearns for us - that rejection doesn't dissuade his love, nor does it diminish his abundant grace. Just sayin!
Thursday, September 20, 2012
This, your darkest of hours
One of the "darkest" places to be is in the place of rejection. By the very nature of rejecting someone, the one being rejected is being said to be useless or unsatisfactory. They have no purpose in our lives - therefore, we discard them, refusing to accept them and what they bring into our lives. One of the toughest things to learn to do with people who treat others as though they are "rejects" in this earth is to NOT reject them because of their "actions" of intolerance or judgment! It is only natural to want to reject those who hurt others, abuse us, or treat some as though their sins are too great. It is also a very dangerous place to tread - because we move into a place of judge in their lives - a place ONLY God can occupy. Today, I don't want to focus on the one who rejects so much as on the one who has been rejected. The place of darkness this rejection creates in the lives of those who suffer at the hands of those who reject them is almost insurmountable.
Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? to be out of your sight? If I climb to the sky, you’re there! If I go underground, you’re there! If I flew on morning’s wings to the far western horizon, you’d find me in a minute—you’re already there waiting! Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark! At night I’m immersed in the light!” It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you; night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you. (Psalm 139:7-12 The Message)
What does an individual who is being rejected experience? Aren't the gamut of emotions ranging from being angry at those who reject them to feeling immensely useless and hopeless common to those who have been rejected? In fact, the list of emotional ups and downs is probably too large to even begin to consider. Suffice it to say, rejection wreaks havoc on our emotions - and in turn, on our self-image, our ability to relate to others in the future, and the desire to ever trust again. Why? Trust has been violated. We placed some element of trust in the one who rejected us - now it is difficult to want to trust again. Relationships become a thing we fear rather than embrace. How we see ourselves is "shaded" by the impression the rejection has left - much like a hand print in wet cement hardens in time, always reflecting the impression left behind by the influence of the pressure exerted when the cement was at its most "form-able" phase.
David cried out to God one day in prayer. His heart obviously knowing some of the anguish of rejection - for he had been hurt by his closest of friends, wounded by children who just did not seem to understand the importance of his wisdom, and guilt-ridden in his own shame over sins he had committed. Sound like anyone we might know? I know his "experiences" in life hit close to home for me - this is probably why I associate so closely with David's teachings, and those of his son, Solomon. The heart of David constantly cried out to God for mercy - the heart of this gal constantly cries out to God for more grace, more mercy, more of Christ in me.
Look at our passage - David is eloquent in describing just how one who experiences rejection "feels". They want to escape the pain, don't they? They look for a place to curl up, hiding from the anguish of the rejection. There is an attempt to flee the pain - looking high and low for the thing which will cover over the intense sting rejection leaves. One who has been rejected by another wants to be out of sight - for even seeing themselves hurts!
David's revelation speaks volumes. We can try to escape God's Spirit, but where can we actually "go" to flee from God's compassion and his grace? The answer: NOWHERE! Why is it we are trying to escape God's Spirit anyway? Isn't it because we don't even think God loves us at the point we are experiencing such rejection from others? Does it come as any surprise to you of Satan's "design" in the actions of rejection? His goal is to get us AWAY (and keep us away) from the very thing which we need the most! His greatest joy comes when we flee from God! His greatest fear is when we run to God!
David lays it all out there - we cannot avoid the Spirit of God. He is there when we attempt to avoid him. We might purposefully attempt to avoid encountering him, but he purposefully pursues us anyway! We try to cover up or hide - not because we ARE unworthy, but because we FEEL unworthy. We believe the lie rejection brings - no one, not even God, wants us. The furthest thing is true - even when NO ONE wants us, God loves us deeply, embraces us closely, and believes in us immensely. When we feel the sting of rejection, it is natural to want to do one of two things. Either we begin to live a lie - falsely escalating in joyful cheer, making the others think all is well with us, or we attempt to flee underground, trying to escape without further "damages" being experienced.
The most amazing part of this passage is in God's "position". He is THERE. Not by accident, but because he has determined to be waiting for us wherever we attempt to flee! In David's most eloquent manner of speaking, he utters these words: Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark! At night I’m immersed in the light!” It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you; night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you. Even in our darkest place, God immerses us in his light! Darkness isn't darkness to God! In fact, no darkness dwells where God is - and David reminds us God is everywhere we are!
I don't know the havoc rejection has brought into your life, but here's the hope I want you to find - God is not the author of this rejection! He is the author of YOU. As the author, he can re-write anything in your life which causes you pain. Sometimes it is in the actions of forgiving the one who rejected you. At other times, it is in the actions of coming out of hiding, learning to be comfortable with who you are and how God made you - all your quirks and hang-ups included. No "chapter" of your life is written in stone - except the Chapter of Grace! The author has seen to it that GRACE will always be a part of your life! First, grace to you - then, grace through you!
What am I "just sayin" today? Plain and simple: God's grace is waiting to embrace you in this your most darkest of hours! Reach out - take his hand - he is already there waiting! Just sayin!
Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? to be out of your sight? If I climb to the sky, you’re there! If I go underground, you’re there! If I flew on morning’s wings to the far western horizon, you’d find me in a minute—you’re already there waiting! Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark! At night I’m immersed in the light!” It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you; night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you. (Psalm 139:7-12 The Message)
What does an individual who is being rejected experience? Aren't the gamut of emotions ranging from being angry at those who reject them to feeling immensely useless and hopeless common to those who have been rejected? In fact, the list of emotional ups and downs is probably too large to even begin to consider. Suffice it to say, rejection wreaks havoc on our emotions - and in turn, on our self-image, our ability to relate to others in the future, and the desire to ever trust again. Why? Trust has been violated. We placed some element of trust in the one who rejected us - now it is difficult to want to trust again. Relationships become a thing we fear rather than embrace. How we see ourselves is "shaded" by the impression the rejection has left - much like a hand print in wet cement hardens in time, always reflecting the impression left behind by the influence of the pressure exerted when the cement was at its most "form-able" phase.
David cried out to God one day in prayer. His heart obviously knowing some of the anguish of rejection - for he had been hurt by his closest of friends, wounded by children who just did not seem to understand the importance of his wisdom, and guilt-ridden in his own shame over sins he had committed. Sound like anyone we might know? I know his "experiences" in life hit close to home for me - this is probably why I associate so closely with David's teachings, and those of his son, Solomon. The heart of David constantly cried out to God for mercy - the heart of this gal constantly cries out to God for more grace, more mercy, more of Christ in me.
Look at our passage - David is eloquent in describing just how one who experiences rejection "feels". They want to escape the pain, don't they? They look for a place to curl up, hiding from the anguish of the rejection. There is an attempt to flee the pain - looking high and low for the thing which will cover over the intense sting rejection leaves. One who has been rejected by another wants to be out of sight - for even seeing themselves hurts!
David's revelation speaks volumes. We can try to escape God's Spirit, but where can we actually "go" to flee from God's compassion and his grace? The answer: NOWHERE! Why is it we are trying to escape God's Spirit anyway? Isn't it because we don't even think God loves us at the point we are experiencing such rejection from others? Does it come as any surprise to you of Satan's "design" in the actions of rejection? His goal is to get us AWAY (and keep us away) from the very thing which we need the most! His greatest joy comes when we flee from God! His greatest fear is when we run to God!
David lays it all out there - we cannot avoid the Spirit of God. He is there when we attempt to avoid him. We might purposefully attempt to avoid encountering him, but he purposefully pursues us anyway! We try to cover up or hide - not because we ARE unworthy, but because we FEEL unworthy. We believe the lie rejection brings - no one, not even God, wants us. The furthest thing is true - even when NO ONE wants us, God loves us deeply, embraces us closely, and believes in us immensely. When we feel the sting of rejection, it is natural to want to do one of two things. Either we begin to live a lie - falsely escalating in joyful cheer, making the others think all is well with us, or we attempt to flee underground, trying to escape without further "damages" being experienced.
The most amazing part of this passage is in God's "position". He is THERE. Not by accident, but because he has determined to be waiting for us wherever we attempt to flee! In David's most eloquent manner of speaking, he utters these words: Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark! At night I’m immersed in the light!” It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you; night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you. Even in our darkest place, God immerses us in his light! Darkness isn't darkness to God! In fact, no darkness dwells where God is - and David reminds us God is everywhere we are!
I don't know the havoc rejection has brought into your life, but here's the hope I want you to find - God is not the author of this rejection! He is the author of YOU. As the author, he can re-write anything in your life which causes you pain. Sometimes it is in the actions of forgiving the one who rejected you. At other times, it is in the actions of coming out of hiding, learning to be comfortable with who you are and how God made you - all your quirks and hang-ups included. No "chapter" of your life is written in stone - except the Chapter of Grace! The author has seen to it that GRACE will always be a part of your life! First, grace to you - then, grace through you!
What am I "just sayin" today? Plain and simple: God's grace is waiting to embrace you in this your most darkest of hours! Reach out - take his hand - he is already there waiting! Just sayin!
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