Rejection can be a very painful experience. Ask anyone who has been rejected either through a broken friendship, engagement or marriage and I'm sure they will tell you it hurt. In the Bible, there's a story of a woman who suffered rejection. I'm talking about Hagar, the Egyptian bondwoman who bore a child to her boss, Abraham. Most of you know the story.
Abraham and Sarah were an elderly couple whom God had promised great things. Among them that he shall be "the father of many nations." Abraham believed God, but there was just one problem - Sarah his wife was barren. So this is where Hagar came in. Sarah gave her to Abraham so she could have a child through her. The plan worked. Hagar had a son, whom they called Ishmael. But God had the final say. Sarah also became pregnant and gave birth to a son - Isaac, the promised heir.
Some years later, Sarah saw Ishmael mocking Isaac. She became angry and told Abraham, "Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac" (Genesis 21: 10). Hagar and Ishmael were thrown out with just some bread and some water. Rejected. Discarded. Confused.
How did Hagar handle rejection? She cried out to God and He heard her. He showed her a well of water she'd not seen before. Ishmael grew up to become the leader of a great nation -the Arab people - as God had promised. If you are suffering rejection today - in your relationships, on the job, even in the church - cry out to God. He promises us that "He will never leave us or forsake us" (Hebrews 13: 5).
If you want to read more about Hagar, why not download a copy of my book Women For All Seasons from Smashwords for only 99c. Here's the link: http://smashwords.com/womenforallseasons. If you prefer a print copy go to http://www.amazon.com/dp/1432760424.
2 comments:
Thank you! I handle rejection by walking away. Earlier, in my life, I would try to figure out why a person would want to hurt or reject me. Now, I just ask the Lord to help them and myself and I walk away. I think that rejection can be the Lord's way of keeping us out of harm's way. We don't need to be accepted and loved by everyone. We just need to walk in His path and stay focused on Him and not ourselves. Thank you, for allowing me to share. ~Cynthia
Hi Cynthia,
You have to reach that level of maturity to be able to walk away when you are rejected. Not everyone can do that. God bless you. Happy Thanksgiving!
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