Finding Purpose Beyond Rejection
Rejection — It’s a universal experience. Everyone of us have went through this at some point in our lives, whether it’s not being invited to an event, being rejected by a friend or family member, or even not getting picked for a team. Every single person has felt out of place and unloved at some point in their life. This week we will be covering rejection, and how to find your purpose through it, and using it to become a stronger worker for God’s Kingdom. So if you have recently felt rejection, or if you are trying to find your purpose in life, then keep reading.
Using Rejection To Grow:
Bible Verse: 1 Peter 2:4-8 “Come to him, a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God, precious. You also as living stones are built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Yeshua the Messiah. Because it is contained in Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, chosen and precious. He who believes in him will not be disappointed.” For you who believe therefore is the honor, but for those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,” and, “a stumbling stone and a rock of offense.” For they stumble at the word, being disobedient, to which also they were appointed.”
In this passage in 1 Peter we see the idea of Jesus being our “cornerstone,” A Cornerstone is the first stone set down in a building project (during the times of the Bible), and all the build would go off the placement of that stone. It was the main thing the building would be built off of. In this passage, we are told that our own lives should be anchored to Jesus like a cornerstone. This passage tells us how we as fellow believer of Christ are part of a “spiritual house” and as part of that house we should be built on the cornerstone, which is Jesus.
This passage then uses this illustration of a cornerstone to tell us how when Jesus was on the earth, that He Himself was rejected. Few leaned on Him to become their cornerstone. He was rejected by most. The Son of God was rejected on this earth, and in this passage we are told of His rejection to bring us comfort. Because if Jesus Himself was rejected, wouldn’t we be rejected also. He was rejected by His friends and family. He was rejected in His hometown. He was rejected by His people. He was rejected by faithful people who didn’t believe in Him. Jesus is our perfect example of rejection. He knew the pain of feeling pushed aside and unloved. He was the TRUE Cornerstone, and yet, He was rejected from that role by His own people.
This passage bring us so much comfort when we ourselves go through the world’s rejection. Jesus wanted us to know that TRUE followers of Him, would experience rejection for following Him. We as believers have to get our minds ready for rejection when we decide to follow Jesus. The rejection WILL come, but we just don’t know when or who it will come from. At some point or another you may feel like you are trying your hardest, and still not being accepted. This is one of the hard parts of life, knowing that there are some circumstances that you just can’t change. Rejection is a sad reality of life, and we will all experience it several times in our lives. But the one thing that we have during those moments of rejection, is the TRUE source of comfort — Jesus! We have someone to turn to, that understands. We have fellow believers that will be able to relate to us, in our own Spiritual House. We have hope in Heaven, because pain and sin help to point us towards the peace and comfort that only Heaven can offer. We can only work on adapting our mindsets during those moments of rejection, and turn them into moment of growing closer to our Cornerstone. Will you let Jesus be your Cornerstone during those moments of rejection, and let yourself be built into His Spiritual House?
Ideas for Using Rejection to Grow:
Prayer, tell God all of your heartaches and disappointments. Prayer shouldn’t just be used for “asking” for things. We need to learn how to pour our hearts out to God. He is waiting for us to build a relationship with Him.
Get out of the house. There is nothing better than getting out of the house, and praying as you go. Even if it’s just to go and drive around or take a walk while in conversation with God. You need to get your mind out of the rut of dwelling on the rejection you are facing.
Read the book of Job, the whole book is about a very faithful man that was put through horrible trials by the Devil to try and get Him to turn from God. You can also read more about any of the Apostles in the New Testament, they have been through so much rejection for Christ’s sake also.
Sign up for more ways to spend your time serving someone. Most churches have plenty of ways that you can get involved, and helping others is the best remedy for when you are feeling upset over something. Turn the rejection into growth!
Embrace that rejection will happen with being a Christ follower, that doesn’t help when in the moment, but longterm it is a fact of life. Knowing that all other followers of Christ also experience rejection, does help your brain feel not so alone in all of the pain.
During rejection there is no better time to dedicate your life even more so to God. This is the perfect time to start dedicating more time for Bible study and prayer. Giving yourself something to focus on, and fill up your time, is the best solution. When we fill our time up with God we are storing up our treasures in Heaven!!
Share about your love of God with others, share your pain, but share why you can still have joy in life even through the pain. Being part of the “Spiritual House” should bring us joy even in the pain. Use the pain to Grow the church and the Kingdom.
Write out a list of all of the positives going on admits the pain. Even in the worst of moments, you can find things to be thankful and grateful for. Seeing the positive will help your brain deal with the rejection.
Know that others are watching to see how you handle the difficulties. Your life can either be a negative example or a positive one, which will you choose?
Conclusion:
As we navigate life’s twists and turns, let’s remember the Cornerstone — the unshakable foundation that holds us steady in life. Only in Christ, can we find purpose, even admits rejection. Let rejection be the launching point towards our true identity as Christians. Let’s remember the Spiritual House that we are building daily together. Find Jesus as the Cornerstone in your life, and readjust your actions and mindset on Him. When we discover our Cornerstone, then we are finding purpose beyond rejection. You’ve this, my friends!
About the Author: My name is Katie, and I’m a Church of Christ Preacher’s wife in Kentucky. I am also a proud homeschool mom to two brilliant boys. I love to craft, and make and bind my own notebooks. I also make a weekly podcast show called “Just Bible No Fluff",” where I skip all of fluffy extras and hop right into a short yet impactful exegetical study of the scripture. My mission and vision in life is this: “To empower women Spiritually by enhancing their skills in deep Bible study, equipping them to effectively teach the Gospel to others, and guiding them in cultivating Spiritual growth beyond the Church building.”