Rejection is a bitter pill all of us have to swallow at some point. It doesn’t go down quick, and it doesn’t go down easy. Some of us have been betrayed by friends who were like sisters—or watched as our husbands or dads have decided they don’t want to be married anymore.
You don’t have to walk long in the world to realize we’re all fickle, fussy, and prone to change our minds; and no man or woman can provide the stability our hearts long for. Once we’ve experienced this, the great impenetrable wall of defense often goes up. It’s designed to keep the bad out, but more often than not, it traps the sin within.
I see this in myself. I often respond to disappointments in relationships with a good dose of “I’ll show you!” followed by seeds of hurt, resentment, and bitterness.
But frequently, the tables are turned, and I’m the one who’s so aware of my propensity to hurt others by my sin and annoy them with my quirks. I’m convinced no one will continue to like or want to invest in me once they really get to know me. So, I remain guarded, get awkwardly insecure, or fill with frustration when other friends get more posts on their Facebook wall or more re-tweets than I do.
As I was thinking about this the other day, I read an astounding truth in Knowing God by J.I. Packer. In it he describes one of God’s characteristics that sets Him apart from humans—His immutability. God’s immutability is His inability to change in His character. He is always true to His Word and, in fact, has stated that He does not change (Mal. 3:6). This is good news because He’s always good and is always working to conform those who love Him and have been called by Him to Christ. And, just to drive the point home, He’s told us we can trust Him because it’s impossible for Him to lie (Heb. 6:18).
Here’s what is working to transform me from the inside out: God will not change His mind about me.
Once they see my sin, my friends may run. Even in the best of times, my family may turn their back on me. More than likely I will turn my back on others, too. But even in the midst of the messes I create and the trail of failure that often follows me, I have this as a sure and steadfast anchor to keep my soul from running adrift. Because of the perfect life of the Lord Jesus Christ, His death in my place, and His resurrection, I have been adopted into His family—and He isn’t apologizing to anyone about it.
Furthermore, Jesus has promised His family that the old is gone with repentance and faith, and the new is peering through more and more every day. These truths should lead me to confess my sin of self-pity, forgive others as I’ve been forgiven in Christ, and walk in the ways of the Father who rescued me and has promised to never turn His back on me because He already turned it on Jesus.
I don’t have to hide from Him because I don’t have anything to fear or prove anymore. Likewise, I shouldn’t hide from or avoid loving others because of the risk and sacrifice involved. Instead, all my relationships have changed because of Jesus. My security is this: At the end of a long day that I’ve managed to make a mess of again, His arms will always be open as I run to His nailed-pierced hands for refuge. And, those scars are there to prove He will never turn me away.
All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. (John 6:37)
Have you experienced rejection lately? How might the truth that God will never change His mind about you change the way you respond?
This post was written by Lindsay Swartz.
