No matter what kind of hatred and rejection you have faced, God can overrule all of it to fulfill His plan for your life—just as He did with Joseph and Jesus.

So it came about, when Joseph reached his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the varicolored tunic that was on him; and they took him and threw him into the pit (Genesis 37:23–24).

Although we all experience rejection in life, nothing cuts more deeply than rejection from your family. Maybe your siblings have turned their backs on you. Perhaps your spouse has divorced you. Or maybe you feel rejected by your adult children or a parent.

Joseph experienced the ultimate rejection when his own brothers sold him into slavery. And Jesus knew painful rejection as He heard the very people He had been sent to redeem screaming, “Crucify Him!”

It is so easy to give up when rejected by those who know us best. But a horrible tragedy occurs when we do. We miss out on the incredible plans God has for us upon overcoming that family rejection.

No matter how much the rejection hurts, no matter how deep your pain, never give up. No matter what kind of hatred and rejection you have faced, God can overrule all of that to fulfill His plan for your life—just as He did with Joseph and Jesus. That’s the message of the story of Joseph (Genesis 50:20). It’s the message of the story of Jesus (Romans 5:8). Trust in God can help us overcome any family rejection.