Love in the Face of Rejection
"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." -1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Have you ever been rejected? I think all of us have experienced rejection at some point in our lives. If you're an actor or musician, you might experience much more rejection than the rest of us. But most people who experience a lot of success in any field have experienced much rejection. That's what makes their success more rare than the average person - they worked hard and endured more rejection than most of us are willing to tolerate.
The story of Hosea and Gomer is an unusual one. God instructs Hosea the prophet to chose a prostitute and marry her - and continue to be faithful even though she continued to be unfaithful. (Hosea 1:3) He did this as a symbol of the nation of Israel at that time who had been unfaithful to their true God, rejecting Him, His love, and His decrees. Jesus also did something that we never deserved: He died on a cross for our sins, in spite of the fact that the people during that time persecuted Him and put Him on the cross. He loved them (and us) in spite of their (and our) complete rejection of His love.
Every day, we have the choice to reject as the world rejects, or love and accept as Jesus has loved us. If we are really seeking our calling we will likely experience a lot of rejection, but the benefits to remaining faithful will far outweigh the rejection and opinions of man. It is essential that we keep our hearts pure and seek God first, so that we know our affirmation and worth comes from Him and those He has put in our lives to confirm His plans for us.
Jesus calls us to love in spite of rejection. Even when life gives us hard blows, we are still to love and accept, let go and protect. Are you able to love in spite of rejection today?
Related resource: Destroying the Spirit of Rejection: Receive Love and Acceptance and Find Healing by John Eckhardt
Did this devotional encourage you? Share it to encourage others or donate to keep it going!
