4 minute read 
by Bethany Rees 

“Dear…” Series: Many of us put on a brave face or wear a mask to hide our internal struggles with: guilt, fear, comparison, unworthiness, regret, unforgiveness, rejection, anger, and grief. The “Dear…” series is dedicated to shedding light, hope, and freedom on these internal battles that we often face alone. BUT, we are not alone! Because of Jesus, we can win our battles and find freedom.

Dear Rejection,

I am now rejecting you. You have tortured me with feeling unloved, unwanted, and unworthy for too long. But no more! 

It is you that is no longer wanted or accepted into my heart, mind, and soul. 

You’ve muddied the waters of my priorities by keeping my focus on lesser things. You try to keep me striving for approval, so that my heart seeks others over seeking my God. 

Rejection, God has shown me your tricky schemes to keep my heart continually seeking and hurting, and He has changed my heart and mind concerning you. 

I Confess: 

Rejection, I have let your pedestal of affirmation and validation from others become an idol in my life.  I have sought out the acceptance of others more than I have rested in the unconditional love of my Heavenly Father.  

In my selfish desire to be on another’s pedestal so that I feel loved, accepted, adored, or popular, I have allowed you to turn my heart, mind, and soul away from my one true love: God my Father, Jesus my Savior, and the Holy Spirit my comforter.  

Your pedestal of longing has crumbled to ground, and now I see you for what you really are:  

• A self-serving idol wanting to fill my emotional coffers with the riches of adoration from others. 
• A bait and switch trap that has me striving for others’ approval, only to be continually left feeling unloved, unwanted, and unworthy. 
• A mixed cocktail of offenses for disrespect, nonacceptance, snubbing, and ignoring that pour anger and bitterness deep in the crevices of my hurting heart.

Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me.”

Psalm 27:10 “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.”

Psalm 62: 7 “On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.”

Isaiah 49:15-16 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.”

I Repent:

Rejection, you’ve sung the siren songs of acceptance, love, and validation, but your snare that uses desires of affirmation and validation from others as bait, no longer lures me. 

I no longer feel the need to achieve, win, or lure the approval or affection of anyone but God. For it is not people's approval I seek nor their validation that I need. I already know that I am loved by my creator and found worthy in the eyes of my Savior.  

When my bids for affection or attention are denied, I will no longer feel your presence because I will be resting in the presence of my Lord and the identity He has established for me in Christ.

I know God loves me and will always accept me, even though I am imperfect. 

Through the power of the Holy Spirit that lives inside of me, I will no longer selfishly seek affirmation and validation from others, but from God only. 

When rejected or scorned by others, I will no longer experience the deepest of hurts because I know God will always love me. Therefore, I will turn my heart to love and serve others no matter their response to me.  

Isaiah 41:9-10 “You whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, ‘You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.’”

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Galatians 1:10 “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

Ephesians 1:4 “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”

I Cast Off:

Rejection, in the name of Jesus, I rebuke you. 

Your combo of misplaced desires and hurtful wounds no longer guide the path of my heart, mind and soul. Your propaganda for what I need to feel loved and worthy have been proven as lies from the enemy and they no longer lure me into your trap. 

So away with you Rejection because Jesus is the only person with the power to fill the hole in my heart for love, acceptance, and validation of worthiness. The days of our love/hate relationship have come to an end. 

Matthew 10:29-31 “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

Acts 5:29 “But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”

Romans 8:31 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

1 Thessalonians 2:3-6 “ For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others,” though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. 

I Bless:

God created me for Himself, and in Him I am fearfully and wonderfully made. It is from God that my identity of worthiness is created and my need for love and acceptance is fulfilled. 

My Lord and Savior Jesus was rejected and despised, yet His heart was still full of love. It is through His modeling of love for God and love for others that I will take refuge. Instead of hurting, I will pour out blessings to those that reject me. 

Psalm 139:14 “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”

John 1:10-13 “He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

John 15:18-19 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”

1 Peter 2:4-5a “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house,”

So Rejection, by the time you read this blog post…know that you no longer have access to pull at the strings of my heart, mind, soul, or identity. 

I am accepted by Jesus and will forever be a beloved child of God.

Know Better. Do Better. Live Better. Rest in God’s love and acceptance.

Rocks before Sand!

Scripture: 

“Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.” ~ Isaiah 49:15b-16

Theme Song: 

Lauren Daigle - Rescue (Lyrics)

References Used:

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Freedom: Small Group Leader Guide produced by Church of the Highlands https://freedom.churchofthehighlands.com/curriculum 

Bible Verses About Rejection: 

Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me.”

Psalm 27:10 “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.”

Psalm 62: 7 “On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.”

Isaiah 49:15-16 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.”

Isaiah 41:9-10 “You whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, ‘You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.’”

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Galatians 1:10 “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

Ephesians 1:4 “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”

Matthew 10:29-31 “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

Acts 5:29 “But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”

Romans 8:31 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

1 Thessalonians 2:3-6 “ For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others,” though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ.

Psalm 139:14 “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”

John 1:10-13 “He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

John 15:18-19 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”

1 Peter 2:4-5a “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house,”