Logo

Showing posts with label Abuse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Abuse. Show all posts

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Dealing with Feeling Rejected

   I remember at age 15 finally having the endurance to mow our family lawn in one day. I couldn't wait to show my dad so he would be proud. When he drove up from work, I ran up to the car telling him to look at what I had accomplished. The only thing he said was "You missed a spot". Then he walked in the house. I felt so rejected because of this criticism and many others. (Believing in honoring our father and mother, I got his permission to share this.) Sadly, I inflicted rejection on my wife, also, through criticism the first few years of our marriage. The rejection I grew up with was passed on to my sweet undeserving wife.

   Why do people reject others? It is a symptom of the sins of our own flesh which impact them so negatively. And it often affects the people we care about the most. Romans 8:6 says it this way, "For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace".

   Setting our mind on the flesh is what I call our mental default. We tend to default to how we've learned to cope with life apart from Christ in us no matter how many great sermons we have heard, how much of the Bible we've read or how much we have prayed. This produces "death" in our relationships otherwise known as rejection.

   How can we deal with rejection from others? Sit down with God and be honest about how much the rejection hurt you. Then tell God that you choose to forgive them even if you don't feel like it. When I forgave my dad for the rejection I felt growing up, I found great healing. But there may be a bigger issue at play here. Most of us are hoping that another human being is going to meet our deepest need for acceptance. That is what I was looking for from my dad. That is a faulty focus.

   What if we are the ones rejecting others? We need to confess that to God as sin. But just as important, we need to live confidently in God's unconditional acceptance of us. This is part of what it means to "set your mind on the Spirit". When we consistently believe we are unconditionally accepted by our Heavenly Dad, we will live in and from Christ in us. This is the true source of life and peace. Only then can we express that same unconditional acceptance to the people around us.

   I don't believe God wants us to blame our parents for all of our problems otherwise we will live like we are victims. We are victors in Christ! We can face and forgive the mistakes of our parents or others who have rejected us. Christ in us can catapult us into the destiny God created us for.

   Why don't you pray right now thanking God that He unconditionally accepts you? If you are unsure of this, refer back to my devotion, "Does God Really Accept Us Unconditionally"?

If you are stuck in your feelings of rejection, we can help. For more information, please call us at 704-522-9026 or visit us on the web at www.GraceLifeInternational.com.

Live Free In Christ, 


Mark Maulding, President and Founder 

www.GraceLifeInternational.com 
All Content Copyright © 2013 Mark Maulding