The Sting of Rejection

He [Jesus] had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Isaiah 53:3 NIV

Nothing hurts worse in this life than being rejected. Rejection is the ultimate 'put down' whether you're the one doing the rejecting, or the one being rejected. Rejection makes you feel unloved, unwanted, unappreciated, inferior, inadequate, worthless. Rejection can cause some people to become suicidal. Rejection hurts like a sucker punch to the stomach. And no matter how long ago it happened, the sting of rejection can linger for months, even years.

Rejection sticks out like a sore thumb. We see it on the faces of desperate people who spend their life on the streets. We see it in the self-destructing behavior of people who abuse harmful substances that they know can kill them. We see it in the actions of people who engage in criminal and other anti-social behavior without remorse. 

Rejection can take many forms— like being rejected in the womb, rejected at birth, rejected by family or friends, rejected for a job, rejected because of your race, religion, or physical appearance. The list of ways to be rejected is endless. Maybe you have been rejected at some point in your life, and it turned your world upside down. Maybe it’s been years, and you’re still struggling to get back on your feet. The promises you made to yourself to turn your life around haven’t been kept.

You are not alone. Jesus was the most rejected man in the history of the world. The Bible says that "He [Jesus] was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain." Sound like you? 

Being rejected didn't stop Jesus from fulfilling his purpose in life which was to die for the sins of the world. Christ's ultimate victory over rejection means that anyone who faces rejection —past, present or future—can look to Jesus Christ for healing and acceptance. 

It doesn't mean that you'll never face rejection in some form ever again; but if and when you do you'll be stronger, better able to handle it with Christ in your corner. Those persons who rejected you may never change their attitude, but you can change. When you know who you are in Christ, you can forgive those who rejected you and move on. Today is the day you throw off the chains of bondage that have held you a prisoner of rejection. Declare your freedom now with this simple prayer—

Dear Jesus, thank you for not rejecting me. Thank you for loving me and dying for my sins. I need you in my life. I am so sorry for the way I've lived and the things I've done. Please forgive me and help me to live the way you want me to. I put my life in your hands. Thank you God for forgiving me and giving me the gift of eternal life in Heaven when I die. 

To learn more about what awaits you as a new believer in Jesus Christ, go to peacewithgod.net  Friends are waiting online to help you. Need prayer? They can help there too.

A warning to the Church: God is not pleased

It is appalling that the most segregated hour in Christian America is 11 o'clock on Sunday morning. --Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

One of my most enduring childhood memories is of growing up on Effingham Street in Portsmouth, Va. There were two churches on our block—one black, the other white. On Sunday mornings, I can remember watching people gather at the white church across the street, and wondering why we never went to that church and why they never came to ours. When I asked my grandmother about it, she quickly put an end to my childhood curiosity by saying:

Our church is better.

I remember thinking if it's better why aren't those people coming over here? It didn't make sense to me then and still doesn't.

I would be told "Ours is better" each time I questioned why blacks and whites never mingled together in public places or at public events in that southern town. Whites had their space and we had ours. This was the mid-fifties. It wasn't until much later in life that I learned first hand the real truth about racial segregation in America. In spite of its multiracial makeup, America is still in bondage to a spirit of segregation that pervades much of society, even our churches.

Although it's been 50 years since Dr. King addressed the issue of racial segregation in the Christian church, not much has changed. On any given Sunday, it is still possible to open the doors of most Christian churches in America and find a homogeneous congregation of people worshiping God, and not see a single member of another race. According to Chris Rice, co-author of More Than Equals: Racial Healing for the Sake of the Gospel, most Christians never give it much thought.

Ninety percent of African-American Christians worship in all-black churches. Ninety percent of white American Christians worship in all-white churches...Years since the incredible victories of the Civil Rights movement, we continue to live in the trajectory of racial fragmentation. The biggest problem is that we don't see that as a problem.

Segregated pews are viewed as the norm. There are a few multiracial and multicultural churches; however, they account for only 5-7 percent of Christian congregations. News flash—there won't be a separate heaven for all those who want to only be with their own kind. It's in the Bible:

After this I looked, and there was an enormous crowd—no one could count all the people! They were from every race, tribe, nation, and language, and they stood in front of the throne and of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. They called out in a loud voice: 'Salvation comes from our God, who sits on the throne, and from the Lamb!' (Revelation 7:8-9)

It seems clear from this that God intends for his followers to live together in eternity as one big happy family. So then, why aren't we doing more to become one body in Christ here on earth? By the numbers, Christian congregations continue to lag behind the rest of society when it comes to eliminating self-imposed racial segregation.

Christian theologians and church leaders have differing opinions on what can be done to ameliorate the situation. Most admit there's a lack of diversity in the churches, but make excuses like "People prefer to go to church with people who look like them" or "People choose churches where they feel comfortable." 

Sadly, there is also a misguided remnant who have racist tendencies, and don't want to see people from other races in their congregations [We need to pray for them]. Regardless, of the reason, no excuse is valid in the eyes of God who expects Christians to love each other and everybody else.

If the gospel is the power of God unto salvation, and if we are indeed saved, then it should be possible for us to celebrate differences in skin color and culture as evidence of the divine artistry of creation and redemption and not as grounds for continued separation, exploitation, and prejudice. - Walter Douglas

Now then, how do we start to transform Sundays at 11 o'clock from the most segregated hour to the most racially diverse and inclusive hour in Christian America? Perhaps, the answer lies in one changed heart, one friendly handshake across the aisle, one conversation that ends with an invite until we get the job done. Every believer, black and white, will have to do his part to bring about a change. Change may be difficult, but change we must even if it means moving out of our comfort zone. 

You remember the story I shared earlier about the two Christian churches on my block that never intermingled with each other? Well, Ebenezer Baptist Church, the black church, is still on Effingham Street having maintained a presence in that community for 100-plus years now. As for the white church, it closed its doors years ago and moved away. So, I guess my grandmother was right, after all, our church really was the better one.