"Feeling Rejected?" - by Rev. Weldon Bares

You probably know the story of Elizabeth Barrett. She was one of the most gifted poets of her generation. She fell deeply in love with another poet, Robert Browning. Their love was strong, but her parents despised the match. So when she married Robert against their wishes, they completely disowned her.

For most people, that would have been the end of the story. But not for Elizabeth.

In spite of her heartbreak, she continued to write to her parents. She wrote letter after letter, month after month, year after year. Each letter was filled with affection and expressed her desire for reconciliation. She told them how much she loved them and how she hoped that one day things could be made right again.

For ten long years, there was no reply. Then one day, a large package arrived from her childhood home. She had to have been so excited. She quickly opened it, only to find every single one of her letters returned to her unopened.

“Rejected.” It’s a small word, but it carries a world of hurt.

Jesus certainly knew the sting of rejection. The prophet Isaiah foretold about the Christ, “He was despised and rejected of men.” (Isaiah 53:3)

When we face rejection, let’s remember that our worth is not determined by who accepts us or rejects us. But our worth comes to us from the One who loves us with no conditions or strings attached, from the One who says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” (Jeremiah 31:3)