REJECTION
Genesis 4:3-5 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel for his part brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
John Steinbeck in his novel of re-imagining of the Cain and Abel myth, East of Eden wrote: “The greatest terror a child can have is that he is not loved, and rejection is the hell he fears. I think everyone in the world to a large or small extent has felt rejection. And with rejection comes anger, and with anger some kind of crime in revenge for the rejection, and with the crime guilt—and there is the story of mankind. I think that if rejection could be amputated, the human would not be what he is.”
Yes rejection hurts, and it is part of life; to paraphrase an old saying “rejection happens.” No one will come to, or through, adulthood without some degree of rejection and jealousy. The task is to view it as a natural event rather than a measure of one's worth. The Bible is a series of stories of rejections by people of God. Jesus on the cross knows the full pain of rejection and his response is to forgive.
A couple years ago, I went to my fiftieth High School reunion and there SHE was; the girl, my date to the Junior Prom in 1963, who threw me over for someone else. I cannot tell you how hurt I was then and how inadequate I felt. Fifty years later, she was still beautiful and as we looked at and talked with, each other, we shared what we had once liked about each other, but we were not able to be right for each other at that time. Over the years, we had learned more about ourselves and learned how to appreciate the other without mourning the loss. We will not be lovers, for who we were as adolescents is far from where we are now, but we thanked God for each other.
Do you have a memory of a rejection? Give thanks that you risked and with God's help you are a different person and the rejection was a learning tool to grow to realize that your worth is not dependent on the opinions or approval of others, but on God's amazing love for you. As Jesus shows us, forgiveness is what helps one to rise again.
Father Tom Wilson+
Rector, All Saints Church
Genesis 4:3-5 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel for his part brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
John Steinbeck in his novel of re-imagining of the Cain and Abel myth, East of Eden wrote: “The greatest terror a child can have is that he is not loved, and rejection is the hell he fears. I think everyone in the world to a large or small extent has felt rejection. And with rejection comes anger, and with anger some kind of crime in revenge for the rejection, and with the crime guilt—and there is the story of mankind. I think that if rejection could be amputated, the human would not be what he is.”
Yes rejection hurts, and it is part of life; to paraphrase an old saying “rejection happens.” No one will come to, or through, adulthood without some degree of rejection and jealousy. The task is to view it as a natural event rather than a measure of one's worth. The Bible is a series of stories of rejections by people of God. Jesus on the cross knows the full pain of rejection and his response is to forgive.
A couple years ago, I went to my fiftieth High School reunion and there SHE was; the girl, my date to the Junior Prom in 1963, who threw me over for someone else. I cannot tell you how hurt I was then and how inadequate I felt. Fifty years later, she was still beautiful and as we looked at and talked with, each other, we shared what we had once liked about each other, but we were not able to be right for each other at that time. Over the years, we had learned more about ourselves and learned how to appreciate the other without mourning the loss. We will not be lovers, for who we were as adolescents is far from where we are now, but we thanked God for each other.
Do you have a memory of a rejection? Give thanks that you risked and with God's help you are a different person and the rejection was a learning tool to grow to realize that your worth is not dependent on the opinions or approval of others, but on God's amazing love for you. As Jesus shows us, forgiveness is what helps one to rise again.
Father Tom Wilson+
Rector, All Saints Church
No comments:
Post a Comment