For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own. 1 Samuel 12:22
I have been dealing with the grief of rejection for some time now. I can take rejection from art exhibits; I expect some of that as a part of my business. But that is not the rejection I have been dealing with and grieving from. I have been feeling rejected by those whom I love and have expected to have received love from in return. When God's own people reject you, who can you turn to?
There is only one answer to that question. You can turn to God. I have come to realize that I have been in a period of grief from this rejection for quite some time. It is like going through a divorce to have to turn from people you have loved for a good percentage of your life, and accept that their rejection of you is not sanctioned by God. God will never forsake me. He is pleased with my worship and my love for Him and my love for His people, no matter how they may have treated me.
Without trying to be mysterious, we are in the process of 'moving churches,' having found that the congregation we have attended for well over 20 years is no longer a place we feel useful to His work. How difficult this process is! I grew up in this church. I truly love so many people there. I do not want to turn my back on them, or on the church there. But to feel so useless and so rejected is not how God wants any of us to feel when we gather to worship Him. So we have prayed for almost two years about this. And we have been led to another group of His saints. It is hard to begin again with people you don't know and have not yet made a bond with. But these are His people, too, and we pray that, because they love Him, they will accept us, use us, and make us a part of their portion of the body.
Help me, Lord, to not be bitter about this necessary change in our spiritual lives. Help me to know it is from you, and to know that following your lead will take me to green pastures, as I have been in dry fallow land for so long now. Help us to be a blessing to the body we work with in your name.
3 comments:
It is difficult to realize that some times you feel like that fish out of water in an environment that you were obviously a long time a resident of. Prayers are with you and since you are a woman of faith, you know that you are being led to another environment for a purpose. May your move be fruitful and comforting
Blessings and prayers.
I dont kno how I missed this- I am so sorry you are dealing with this right now and know your pain! But just remember that the reason the gospel spread in the beginning was mostly from believers feeling like they had to go out into the world- from rejections often from those in the church- it is painful- but it does reach out the hand of God further- it is so easy for churches to divert from the their origional purpose isn't it?
I know this has been a long process and I know you and C will remain committed to your faith walks. It is a journey, and stepping from a well-worn, well-known path to a new pathway can lead to discomfort. When seen from above, these crisscrossed paths lead to the same destination. Enjoy the new pathway and the new vistas.
Glynn G
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