When Nobody Wants Me…

What do you do when nobody wants anything to do with you?

Rejection is something that we have all faced at one point. And you know what? It hurts!!! It’s not easy to reach out to someone and they ignore you or want nothing to do with you. Rejection from family is even worse! Sadly, rejection happens to even the best of us – the popular, the friendly, the loving, the kind, and the generous among us.

I don’t know about you, but every time I go through a period of rejection, my self-esteem takes a hit. I begin to think that I am of no value to anyone. I lose confidence. I lose the desire to do my best. The worst part is – I forget that God loves me and that His purpose for me does not change even when I go through rejection.

Some of our favorite characters in the Bible also faced rejection! What did they do about it?

Joseph

We all know the Joseph story. He was favored by his dad, and then he had dreams that caused his brothers to hate his guts. Unfortunately, this hatred did not go away, and they ended up selling him to a bunch of traders who then sold him off to Potiphar! Can you imagine being sold off by your family members at the age of 17? How do you even get over such rejection?

Though it was tough, Joseph made it through. He stayed focused on God. Temptations and trials came his way, but he remained steadfast in his faith in God. Potiphar trusted him completely, by the way, but still viewed Joseph as his servant. Potiphar’s wife wanted him, not because of who he was as a person, but because she wanted to take advantage of him. When Joseph ended up in prison, he had every reason to wallow in self-pity and forget about God, but he didn’t. He continued working hard to the point that he gained the trust of his superior, who in turn put him in charge of all the prisoners. When the cupbearer and baker were set to be released, Joseph finally saw an opportunity for freedom and asked the cupbearer to remember him when they went before Pharaoh. Did they? Nope. The baker was executed, and the cupbearer forgot all about him. Joseph was rejected yet again!

At this point, I would have given up all hope of ever getting out of prison.

God, however, was still working behind the scenes. The Lord was going to use the rejection that Joseph had gone through all his life for His glory.

So…Pharaoh had a dream that nobody could interpret. The cupbearer then remembered that there was this dude from Israel who interpreted his dream while he was in prison. Joseph was brought before Pharaoh, and with God’s help, he interpreted the dream. Pharaoh was so impressed with Joseph’s wisdom that he appointed him to be in charge of the food stocks, second in command to Pharaoh himself. When Jacob sent his sons to buy food, an opportunity presented itself for the family to be reconciled and the nation of Israel to be saved from the famine.

The period of rejection was not easy for Joseph, but in the end, everything worked out for the good of his family and God’s glory. Rejection is not easy for any of us, and the last thing anyone wants to do is to look to God and wait patiently for Him to work – but that’s the best thing any of us can do. We can’t control the rejection we face, but we can choose how to respond to it.

Jesus

When Jesus came into the world, he came in human form, right? Well, to take on this human form he had to be separated from His Father. Oh my! That must have been so difficult! Anyway – Jesus grows up and begins his ministry on earth, and that, dear friends, is where the rejection begins. His own people, the Jews mocked Him over and over.

Mark 6:2-3 “And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? ³ Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.”  (ESV)

Luke 4:24 “And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.” (ESV)

John 7:5 “For not even his brothers believed in him.” ESV

You would imagine that at least his own brothers would believe in him, but they didn’t. Jesus was on His own.

Did he give up? No. He had a mission to complete. Salvation for all mankind, even those who rejected Him.

So He died on the cross. Alone. Next to two thieves. Now that is REAL rejection.

The story does not end there, though. Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to His disciples. Shortly after, He ascended into heaven, and His disciples preached the word far and wide. Jesus’s mission was complete. He stuck it out to the end even when none of his countrymen wanted to believe in Him. He endured the hatred and rejection for you and I. To provide redemption for us. To save us from sin. To allow us to build a new relationship with the Father.

So, dear friends, rejection may feel like the worst thing you are going through right now, but it does not mark the end of your story. God still has a plan for you. He will work out something new and good from the rejection in your life, if only you trust in Him. Take the pain to the Lord, and let Him comfort you. Then ask Him what He wants you to do with this pain. Who knows – the rejection you are going through may be a stepping stone to something great. God may also be removing certain people or circumstances from your life so that He can work through you. Submit to the Lord, and let Him work in you and through you as you heal from the pain of rejection.

Lastly, let me add one of my favorite verses, one I often refer to when I feel alone and rejected.

Jeremiah 31:3 ‘Long ago the Lord said to Israel: “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.”’ (NLT)

He loves you. He loves me. He loves us.