Rejection

How bad does it hurt to be rejected? At some point in our lives all of us have been rejected. It may have been by friend, co-worker, family member, or boyfriend/girlfriend. It's stings to be rejected by others. I've been rejected more times than I care to think about and I've held "pity parties" over being rejected. I was reminded this morning just how important it is to understand Jesus as our shepherd when someone has rejected me.

"The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. . ." - John 10:12

The hired hand abandons the sheep because they aren't his own and he's not committed to them. Why stick around and get eaten when he's not the real owner? So, he runs, leaving the sheep vulnerable. What imagery! All of us are sheep, whether we recognize that or not. And it's not the hired hands of this world we need to put our trust in but in the shepherd instead. When trouble comes, the shepherd is going to be the one willing to lay down His life for us. He'll be the one with his rod and staff fighting off the wolf. He's not going to leave us vulnerable. God tells us that He will lay down His life for us. And that isn't just lip service. He did it when He went to the cross for us and laid down His life for us.

Rejection hurts. But what does it really matter if a hired hand deserts us when we have a Shepherd? What have we really lost? It'll hurt for a little while and we might even experience pain and tears, but when we realize the good Shepherd is still there and that He will never leave us or forsake (even for someone better, prettier, nicer) us, it's then we can embrace peace, comfort and security that we may have thought we had when that hired hand turn tail and ran.

In the midst of rejection rest assured that the good Shepherd hasn't left you alone. He's the only one that loves you enough to lay down His life for you. And when we think about it, what more could we ever want than that?