Tuesday, February 25, 2014

REJECTED AND ALONE: Devotional from "Am I Okay, God" by Lorilyn Roberts






Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.
—I Peter 4:19

Never will I [God] leave you or forsake you.
Hebrews 13:5


Can you talk to your parents about your feelings—your desires, your hurts, your aspirations, and your fears? Perhaps you’re afraid they won’t understand you. I never felt understood and easily got my feelings hurt. I later learned that sensitivity helped me to be a caring person.

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From Seventh Dimension – The Door, a Young Adult Christian Fantasy:
“I couldn’t even tell my mother. My father—he left me long ago.”
—Shale Snyder, chapter two

*~*~*~*~*~*

Fear of rejection runs deep. We’ve all felt the sting. I married when I was young and put my husband through medical school. Seven years into our marriage, he had an affair. He divorced me to marry his pregnant girlfriend, much like my father’s desertion of me when I was a young girl. Rejection’s twin brothers are worthlessness and hopelessness.

Rejection is so familiar to me that I go to great lengths to avoid it. “Am I okay?” I often asked a counselor. I believed if people knew the real me, they would reject me.

I have probably robbed myself of opportunities to further my career or be encouraged in my faith. I still struggle in this area. I am a work in progress.

Rejection comes in many forms. Perhaps you fear you will say the wrong thing at a party.

Rejection may go deeper—a boyfriend drops you, you receive a pink slip at work, or a school you wanted to attend turns down your application.

Ask God to help you sort through your rejected feelings. Read the Bible. Seek out a teacher, a counselor, a coworker, or a fellow student in whom you can confide. If you need help, do not feel ashamed or embarrassed to ask for it.

If you have made poor choices in friends, it’s not too late to cut off those relationships. If someone is abusing you physically or emotionally, seek guidance. Don’t be afraid, even if someone has threatened you.

If you’re pregnant and unmarried, don’t abort. Help is available. You will live with that decision for the rest of your life. Don’t believe what the world tells you. Abortion kills a beating heart. Call: 1-800-366-7773 or go to http://prolifeacrossamerica.org/need-help/.

If you’re suffering from the effects of an abortion, don’t suffer in silence. There’s nothing so awful that God can’t handle it. Take that first step—seek help. God will not abandon you. You’re not alone.
Not everyone will disappoint you. Not every person is a bully, although it may seem like it at times. People who care about you will help you. Whatever is keeping you awake at night or making you overeat is important. God never meant for his followers to live alone or feel isolated from others.

God never gives up on you, but you must get to the point of recognizing your need and asking for God’s help. He can fill in the holes left by those who let you down.

Whenever I feel rejected, I remember how much I am loved by my heavenly father. I will lie on my bed and read the Psalms, remembering God’s care is greater than all the wrongs others have done. We have an awesome God who someday will make everything right—all the bad things done to us will no longer be remembered.

God understands how you feel. Jesus was rejected by his own people. The Jewish leaders mocked him and turned him over to the Roman authorities to be crucified. Jesus died willingly for you and for me.

 *****

Thank you, Jesus, for never leaving me. I know you will walk with me, even carry me, through the lowest moments in my life.
Help me to make good choices.
Help me to be wise and remember I am not alone. Please bring positive people into my life. The Bible says if I ask, you will answer me. Please help me, Lord, to trust in you.


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