“I’m so sorry! The house you loved just sold to another person!” We read the text from our realtor with disappointment. After years of mulling it over, my husband and I finally decided it was time to move. We even found a beautiful house that checked every single one of our boxes. But before we could even think about putting an offer in, that perfect house sold to someone else within a day.
“I’m sorry to inform you that your submission wasn’t selected.” I read the email and held back tears. Weeks of waiting confirmed it. My writing was not selected to be published. In fact, very few of my writings ever did. Was I a bad writer? Should I just give up on my dream?
All eyes were on me when I presented my brilliant idea at the meeting. But once I was finished, I realized no one understood my presentation. In fact, my suggestion was so poorly received that it was torn to shreds in a matter of minutes. After the meeting, I went into the bathroom and cried. My idea was something near and dear to my heart; I felt it could help a lot of people, but no one else saw it that way.
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“We’ll need you back in a couple of months.” Fear loomed when I read that email. I didn’t want to go back in a couple of months. I hated that job. I was so anxious about it that I began having nightmares.
The examples listed above are just a few of the many disappointments and rejections I have experienced over the past month. When these things happen, it’s easy for me to want to give up, lose faith, or become an anxious wreck.
In fact, that is how I used to respond to most disappointments. I would allow these rejections to build up until I snapped.
And, if I am being honest, sometimes I still do. But I have been learning how to take a step back and ground myself in faith that only comes from the love of the Father.
When I am feeling overwhelmed by rejection, I remember that God is the One who is able to take any disappointment and turn it into something beautiful.
Just look at these gorgeous, biblical stories of some poor, rejected women in the Bible. Because of their faith, these women were healed and blessed. They were given wisdom, children, prosperity, and success because of their belief and trust in One greater than them.
Hannah—a desperate, childless woman—is blessed with a beautiful baby boy. (1 Samuel 1)
A woman who had a severe bleeding infirmity for many years finds healing and vibrant health. (Mark 5:25-34)
Esther, an orphan, becomes a hero who saves her entire nation from execution. (The Book of Esther)
A rejected woman at a well who longs for a husband discovers something even better. (John 4:1-34)
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Naomi, a destitute widow who struggled with the death of her sons, finds prosperity with a new family. (The Book of Ruth)
Rahab, a prostitute with a grim future, gets married and has a wonderful new career as a wife and mother. (Joshua 2:1-24)
Each of these women started out as desperate, unhappy, rejected members of society. Several of them were shunned and considered filthy in their time.
But they each did something special before God blessed them with their beautiful endings—they believed in the power of the Almighty God.
Thus, in their brokenness, God saw their tears. As they cried out for help, God heard them. Then, He did what He does best—He created a new life for them. He gave them wonderful, unique happy endings and blessed them for their faith. These biblical women (and many more not even counted in the Bible) were blessed with a beautiful story that could only come from God Himself.
God loves us, dearly. But He also wants to see our faith in Him even when things aren’t going our way. Hebrews 11:6 (ESV) says, “And without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists, and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” This verse says it all. Without faith, we cannot please God.
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Though you feel rejected, disappointed, and unheard, can you remember that you are indeed heard and seen? Can you hold fast to our faith in the One who sees us? (Genesis 16:13) Can you believe in the power of the Almighty God who has your best interest in His heart?
Perhaps you are in a season of overwhelming disappointments or rejections.
Perhaps you have been waiting for that phone call saying you got your dream job, but it has never come. Perhaps you were just told that you or a loved one has an illness or disease. Perhaps you are longing for a baby, but years and years go by of nothing but negative pregnancy tests.
Dear friend, I feel for you. Disappointments are hard and horrible facts of life. But the good news is that all of us have a God who is bigger than any disappointment we could ever face here on this earth. All we need to do is have a little faith.
After all, our God is the creator of beautiful endings.