Seeing Rejection As Redirection

They say to write about what you know, but this is a topic that I'm not too thrilled to be familiar with.

Rejection.

Ugh. I mean even the word is ugly. We've all experienced it in our lives at one point or another. It comes with many different faces and in many different forms. Whether it be from a significant other, friend, family member, job, etc. Its painful, its scarring and its messy. If we're not careful we can allow it to turn us into a person that we are not.

In my own personal life I've experienced it more times than I can count. I've been rejected from jobs that I thought I was qualified for, family has left me, I've given my all to guys that just sent up the peace sign, and "best friends forever" have just turned into those Facebook friends that pop up every now and again. In the past I've allowed it to make me question if I'm good enough, pretty enough, funny enough, smart enough and made me examine every part of who I am and what I have to offer.

"Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lords purpose that prevails."
-Proverbs 19:21

Have you ever heard that saying that says "Rejection is Gods protection"? It may sound cheesy and cliché, but, my friends, it is oh so true. Looking back on those situations in my life I'm so thankful that the Lords hand was on my heart and protected me from what I THOUGHT I wanted. His thoughts are not our thought and His ways are not our ways. (Isaiah 55:8) He sees things that we cannot see and experiencing some rejection right now is much easier than experiencing destruction later. Allow the Lord to calm your heart and lean on Him in those times all the more.

Who you are is not found in the job you have, the numbers you have in your contact list, who you have on your arm or how much money you have in your bank. You are the child of a King. Point blank period. His plans for you are far greater than you can fathom. So next time you experience a "no" just say "Thanks Jesus. I know that's you nudging me in another direction."

You are loved. You are cherished. You are valued. He wants the best for you.


Be blessed.
Love you all.
-Nikki

God´s Instructions

It has been said that one of the most damaging experiences for a person is loneliness. We can classify loneliness as an emotion, because it can be totally based on feelings. For example, a person can be surrounded by a group of people and still feel alone. Although the person is not physically alone, he or she may feel separated from those nearby. Imagine being in solitary confinement. You are completely isolated from the general population and have no contact with other people. Darkness is all around and no one is able to come to your aid. As if it was not enough to be imprisoned against your will, now you have been stripped of all things that you deem valuable, almost to the point of being malnourished and becoming deranged. This is depression. It cannot be categorized by any single feeling. It is not delegated to any particular type of person. It can only described as a feeling of extreme loneliness or even solitary confinement.

In the twelfth chapter of Book of Acts of the Apostles the Apostle Peter was imprisoned for being a witness for Christ. This happened right after James (brother of John) was killed for the same reason. There was no logical reason behind the actions of those who headed the campaign to attack the church, other than to ‘please the people’. The story goes that as Peter was imprisoned and as the church prayed with intensity and faith for his rescue from a certain death, the Lord sent an angel to free him from bondage and bring him home again. But what happened in between?

Consider Peter’s predicament. His good friend had just been murdered, shocking the church. He was then dragged to death row to await his execution. He was all alone. Look at your own life experiences; you either have been or are now at the same place that Peter was - a victim of circumstances, hurting, and feeling all alone. But as we recall the story, we remember that Peter was not really on his own. The Lord sent an angel to facilitate his rescue. Think about it. Peter did nothing to aid his own escape, except follow directions. This communicates to us that 1. We are not really all alone and 2. We must depend completely on the Lord.

In 2 Corinthians 1:9, Paul tells how his circumstances caused him to lean totally on God. He says that it had gotten so bad that he and those with him “...expected to die…” How bad can it be for a person to expect to die? Pretty bad, right? But God masterfully weaves His sovereignty in the situation by delivering His people when all is seemingly lost. This means that it was in His plans for it to happen the way it happened all along. The key for Paul was to recognize that the ability to save was not in him, but rather in Christ.

In either case, whether it be Paul, who expected to die or Peter, who was scheduled to die, the theme is set as completely surrendering and leaning on Christ. Sometimes the circumstances that make us feel alone or imprisoned can be things like addiction, anxiety, or stress. What if I told you that God purposely allowed you to come across these things in order to teach you to depend on Him? As 1 Peter 1:6-7 reminds us, we are tried and refined by fire. Your addiction is not present in your life to kill you, but instead, by leaning on God completely and following His directions, it will refine your faith in Christ. Nothing is more comforting than the fact that as we walk this journey with God, we are securely guided by His word and His life. He is an all-sufficient God and He loves us enough to bare with us in our disobedience and thick-headed mistakes.

You may feel like you are in a place that is seemingly constructed of the bad decisions that you have made in life or you may feel like you are in a pit, dug by those who hope to kill you. God has something to say about your light and your life. He is ready and willing to rescue you from those things that seek your destruction. 1 John 5:14-15 guarantees that God hears our prayers and will respond by giving us the deliverance that we are looking for. Our only responsibility is to lean and depend completely on Jesus and follow His instruction. What is His instruction? “Take up your cross, follow Me, deny yourself…” (Matt 16:24, Mk 8:34, Luke 9:23)