Rejection
Fear of rejection is a constant theme in the seminars I run, but it runs as a thread through stories in the bible. Ishmael cast out by his natural father had seething feelings of rejection. Esau who incidentally married into Ishmael’s family was not the favorite of his natural mother Rebekah. Herod is a descendant of this line who went on kill the babies, his son had John the Baptist, several relatives and wives killed. Rejection can be extremely debilitating for the person with it and those around them. In a discussion with my wife recently I was putting a high value on celebrating birthdays. The discussion escalated to such a degree that I had to consider why I was being so emotional about a birthday (which was not even my own). Thinking back I realised that my own birth because of illegitimacy had not been celebrated but dreaded. It had been an unconscious trauma, brought to the surface by a present day discussion. Some fifty odd years later rejection was still a factor. Rejection and the fear of it is prevalent today, but Jesus who also was rejected came to heal the broken hearted. Invite someone to take a closer look at Christ and his church.
