Dealing with Rejection

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Gen 37:23-24 “So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe–the richly ornamented robe he was wearing–and they took him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it.”

The verses above tell us about how Joseph was rejected by his brothers. This rejection culture is rampant, especially today. We have established a cancel culture through social media. Say or do something unapproved of and your job, community standing and even friendships can be canceled. Rejected. Wiped away. Gone. It is not easy navigating through life at the best of times, but it has become so much more perilous it seems in the age of social media. And we can only imagine the rejection, disbelief and deep sense of betrayal Joseph experienced knowing that his own brothers desired to kill him.

But always remember that even the King of Kings was rejected. The Lord Jesus knew all about rejection. Imagine what Jesus thought when he was despised, hated and rejected by those that He sought to help. They hated his words that He would reign over them. The religious Jews hated the fact that He didn’t pander to them. Synagogue members tried to throw Him off a cliff because He said He fulfilled Isaiah 61:1-2. Truly, as scripture says “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not (Isa 53:3).” Yet God turned it all around and the stone rejected by the builders has become the chief cornerstone! (Acts 4:11) So if you are struggling with rejection, remember Jesus, and remember that God can turn things around bringing eternal positives out of temporal negatives.