Get Hi5 Falling Hearts Sunday 15th July 2022
Hey, what's up?
So I've decided to change back to my original theme. Before I did, I was browsing through some other themes that I thought would look nice - until I saw it as a wallpaper on this website and relented.
I hope your week has been well, mine has. It was my birthday on Saturday and I had an amazing time. Even better, I'm going to celebrate on the 25th with some of my friends from university.
25th is pretty late but then it's not really. It's the closest day we have available that's still in July.
God keeps telling me that he has a birthday surprise for me but the thing is it didn't come on Saturday.
There have been events leading to the surprise but the surprise itself is yet to come. All the events have been fantastic. Especially the paid holiday leave on July 7th. I work at a warehouse and you can get paid for taking a day off.
Sometimes you'll have to book this yourself but other times you'll receive a text asking you if you want one, assuming that there is one available. I think you need to have a specific amount of holiday hours left.
So today's topic will be called Rejection is God's Protection which I've decided to do because it's something everybody experiences and it happens naturally.
The next will be Stop Putting People on a Pedestal, which will be in the Pages section. I'm not saying that that'll be the next thing I talk about directly but it's definitely coming up.
The truth is, regardless of who you are in life, everyone experiences hardships. Even the wealthiest of people. Those from high positions of power aren't exempt from this either.
I'd be lying if I said that there aren't some people in life I have wrongfully thought were "perfect".
Some people just seem that way. I recently thought that the Bishop for my university church, Dag Heward Mills, was perfect, just like I do with most Pastors. But Pastors aren't perfect even if they seem that way.
Reading Bishop Dag's books, I realised that he has had to put up with a lot of challenges and hardships being a pastor, for instance ungrateful people, people turning against him, people talking badly about him and then some.
As I was looking for a new wallpaper, I came across I screenshot of something that I took on my phone quite a few months ago that's relevant to this, so therefore I'd like to share it with you:
I'm not saying that it's wrong to focus on others but the danger lies when you wish you were them completely. Like I said, everybody faces rejection and you really don't know what's going on behind the scenes of anyone's life.
Another reason that I have decided to do this topic today was because I had already talked about it somewhere else. So I can just copy and paste my notes from there and expand on it. It saves me time, plus I have work tomorrow so I kind of have to sleep early either way.
However I promised God I would post today. My next free day isn't until Wednesday and even then I still have something to do.
So what are we waiting for? Let's get into it.
I am going to copy what I have already written on here and expand on it later.
It's in a different colour so that you know that I didn't write it today.
//
Even Jesus got rejected by people, which you can find in John 15:18.
If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.
Also Isaiah 53:3
He was hated and rejected; his life was filled with sorrow and terrible suffering. No one wanted to look at him. We despised him and said, “He is a nobody!”
I had to double check that the verse was about Jesus and it was.
The Bible also said that he “made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7-10).
Jesus loved us so much that he didn’t just die for our sins. He became like us so that he could have seen how humans lived - and experience it for himself even though he had a choice.
Have you ever heard of the phrase ‘not everybody you lose is a loss’? Yeah, sometimes rejection could actually be a blessing in disguise.
Not everybody you lose is a loss because it’s during the worst time of your life that you see the true colours of those who say they care for you. Not just that, when people are no longer beneficial to your life, their true colours start to reveal themselves.
The people that have rejected me, I have seen both their true colours and I’m glad that God kept me away from them.
Edited sentence: Rejection can cause you to see people for who they really were and you could even become grateful that someone or something rejected you. Almost everything bad someone says about you could be more to do themselves.
So when people criticise you, it could be more about themselves and what they don’t like about themselves that they’re projecting unto you.
Perhaps you’ve faced rejection lately and it’s something you can’t really get over. I’m here to tell you that rejection is God’s protection. Maybe the job you wanted so desperately would have made you very unhappy.
God forbid but maybe you would have been bullied. God could have been protecting you from anything - the possibilities are low-key endless.
You can lament or be unhappy over a rejection for as long as you like - don’t let anyone else tell you how to feel about something.
Perhaps a really good school you didn’t get into would have had you stressing like crazy. Maybe you would have been involved in unnecessary drama 24/7, adding even more stress to your life, stress that you don’t need. And then some, there are so many examples.
Bear in mind that disappointments are God’s way of saying that he has something better planned. All you need to do is be patient and have faith. The Bible loves patience and talks about it in Proverbs 16:32.
Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.
And you might think ‘what’s better than so so and so’ or ‘what’s better than not getting so so and so’ but you’d be surprised.
So yeah, don’t be discouraged if you have been rejected. You also need to remember that The Lord sees beyond what we do. Maybe the person you wanted to be with would have made your life a living nightmare.
//
Then another personal example.
Today I'm going to go in depth about everything, then mention signs that someone will come back into your life.
Sometimes God can cause someone to reject you, but then after some time, he wants them to come back into your life, as a bigger and better person.
Maybe they realised they made a mistake, maybe not necessarily by rejecting you but from cutting you out of their life because they rejected you - if that makes sense.
In other words: they want to reject you for whatever reason, they reject you, you understand, you two stop speaking to each other, they're questioning if they made the right decision, they realise they made a mistake and they want you back in their life, as friends
Other times God wants someone out of your life and he wants them out for good.
Even if he doesn't, you shouldn't dwell on the fact that someone might come back. Nobody knows God's will for your life unless you ask him, and unfortunately that might mean cutting contact with people you care about.
Inevitably, I couldn't have done all this work myself so I have done a little bit of further research to help me. I have used two websites on how rejection is God's protection:
https://www.tamarabunte.com/blog/rejection-is-god-s-protection
//
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. ~Romans 8:28
I had a prospect approach me about doing some work for their company and I was excited because I knew that I could do a stellar job.
When it came time to negotiate the amount of money they were willing to pay it was so insulting I would have preferred that they just asked me to help them out free of charge. I declined to take the job because I felt rejected.
I just shrugged it off. One thing I know for sure, is that if you get rejected (by a guy, a girl, a company or a family member) the good news is God has something better for you.
It’s like you’re being protected because God may take something from you that you may rightfully deserve, but he may take it from you to do a “trade up”. It’s kind of like trading in a leased car for the newer version.
There is always something better! The company that rejected didn’t see my value by paying me what I was worth never did come back. To my advantage I was given other jobs that were 10x the amount and a fraction of the time and effort.
I’ve been told early on in my career that you are never paid what you are worth; you are paid based on how well you negotiate.
So, I would ask you, what are you negotiating in your life?
Are you settling for a relationship that you know isn’t really that great for the sake of a warm body and a full calendar? Are you negotiating (Trading time for money) even though you hate what you are doing?
Are you settling for a lazy body because you’ve failed at every diet and thus gave up? Maybe you’re negotiating on someone’s faults and not recognizing their value and dialoguing over meaningless things.
Let's negotiate for something even better!
One of the most powerful techniques in negotiation is certainty. It’s been said, “The power in all relationships lies in who cares less.” But I would argue that power isn’t happiness and sometimes it’s in caring more for another person that brings real joy.
So, if you’ve been rejected, just know that rejection is God’s protection and he always does a “trade up” in value. It’s a mindset that will get you through life’s valleys, Keep your heart right in all things!
It’s dangerous to put your faith in your circumstances, because your circumstances can change so quickly. Set your mindset and know that it might feel like you lost the battle, but have faith – you will win the war
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for you are with me;
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the
Presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and loving-kindness will
Follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
https://mercymultiplied.com/when-rejection-is-really-gods-protection/
//
When the reality is that their rejecting you likely had more to do with them than you, or perhaps, it was God who removed that person from your life because He knew they would have caused you even more pain had they stayed.
“Where you saw Rejection, I saw Protection.”
As I was spending some very intentional time with God recently, I started talking to Him about some of the rejections I have felt in my life that I have questioned and wondered why they happened because I always assumed it was because of something I did.
As I was listening for Him, I heard Him say, “Where you saw rejection, I saw protection.” Hello!
When I heard these words, it was like there was this weight lifted off me. I had been carrying around feelings of hurt and rejection, thinking there was something wrong with me.
Rejection is hard and painful, but I would much rather have God remove someone from my life than be in a relationship with someone who may cause me more harm than good.
There have been people in my life before that I knew were not bringing life to the situation, but I still allowed them to stay in my life. Maybe it was because I didn’t want to hurt their feelings.
Or maybe I downplayed things, making excuses for the person because I was lonely and thought it was better to have someone in my life than no one. Can anyone else relate?
Life is too short to have people in your life that are draining or maybe even holding you back from the call of God on your life. When I did not have the strength or the guts to walk away, God was gracious enough to remove those people from my life. I see that now but definitely did not see it in the moment.
A Season for Everything
Sometimes people are in our lives for a season. I can think back on some friendships that did not work out long term and wondered why they didn’t last. I wondered if it was something I said or did, and although I knew it was nothing I did, I still felt like it was my fault.
But maybe it was God’s protection, but it could have been that person’s choice, or maybe that relationship had run its course. The reality is that we are not responsible for other people’s choices.
They may decide they don’t want to be friends with you anymore, or they don’t want to date you anymore, and that’s okay.
The enemy wants to plant lies in our minds that cause us to question who we are. Renewing the mind is foundational in us growing and changing and digging up those roots of rejection. I think of the mind as a playground of the enemy.
You can have one tiny thought that is not from God, and the devil will run with it, making it a huge thing that you carry with you for decades.
some bits cropped out
Run to Jesus
The next time you feel rejected, whether it’s from a friend or loved one, or maybe you didn’t get the job you were hoping for, the contract on your dream house fell through, you didn’t get the promotion you were hoping for, before you start jumping to conclusions, get angry, or upset, ask God where He is in that moment.
Ask Him if He is protecting you. Don’t run to your spouse, mom, friend, sibling, etc., to vent your frustrations; run to Jesus.
If you feel rejected and find yourself headed down the path to negative thinking, stop and ask God to meet you in that situation and ask Him where He is.
Ask Him how to deal with those feelings and ask Him to help you get your joy back. Maybe He will also tell you that where you see rejection, it is really His protection.
//
I wouldn’t automatically assume God removed someone from your life so he could bring them back to you one day once you two are in a better place. Oftentimes God removes people from our lives and never wants them to return. Sometimes we just need to let the past stay in the past and fully move forward with God.
But there are those times where God actually does take something or someone away from us so that the distance can prepare us to receive this blessing back in an even healthier way one day. With that said, here are 3 things that would happen in a situation where God will recreate an even better connection than the one you lost with this person.
One biblical example of God removing a blessing so he could give that blessing back in an even more complete way is the story of the Promised Land. Abraham was actually in the promised land long before his descendants would fully inherit it (Genesis 12:7). But then in Genesis 15:12-16, it states:
"As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. Then the Lord said to Abram, ‘Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners (temporary residents) in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.’”
Even though God had promised Abraham that his descendants would inherit the land Abraham was already in, God took that land away from them for a long amount of time. But through this process, the people multiplied, the people were blessed with great possessions when they left Egypt, and God prepared for those sinful nations currently occupying the land to be judged.
2. If This Distance Is Being Used to Put God Before Each Other, Sometimes He Will Then Bring You Two Back Together
Making a sacrifice for God won’t always result in getting something you want from God in return for your sacrifice. But there are times in life where God wants to give you something but he first wants you to put him before this blessings.
In 1 Samuel 1, we are introduced to Hannah, a woman who is barren but desperately wants to have a child. In 1 Samuel 1:11, she makes a vow to the Lord and says:
O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”
God answers her prayer and then Hannah follows through on her vow and dedicates her son, Samuel, unto the Lord. But then in 1 Samuel 2:21 it states, “Indeed the Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord.”
I’m not saying that you should make a vow to the Lord so that he will then give you what you want. I don’t believe this story is meant to teach us to try to strike a deal with God. Rather, I believe this is a story of how God often uses difficult times of waiting to then produce dedicated saints who are fully following God.
3. If the Loss of This Relationship Is What You Both Needed So You Could Appreciate What You Have, Sometimes This Is a Sign the Lord Separated You Two So He Could Bring You Back Together
This point can be misleading because whenever two people separate, there is usually a season of grieving what has been lost. Even when a relationship was unhealthy and needed to end, it’s natural to also remember the good parts once that person is gone.
Remembering the good times causes many people to then go back to each other a few times and then keep breaking up before finally realizing God wants them to truly stay broken up because they are not a good fit together.
You definitely want to avoid this unhealthy cycle whenever possible. In the vast majority of cases, those who break up or part ways should remain separated because the problems that led to the split will cause them to just split up again if they come back together.
There are times, however, that a loss is needed before the gift can be received. When Hezekiah became sick, only then did he return to the Lord. In Isaiah 38:17 he prayed (NIV), “Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back.” Sometimes God has to let us experience pain so we will see what he wants us to see.
With said, there are times where two people didn’t really know what they had together until they lost it. Sometimes you need to lose something to realize how good it really was.
If God had to separate you two for a specific amount of time so you could learn to appreciate what you have together rather than focusing too much on the imperfections present (because no relationship is perfect), this could be a sign God broke you two apart so he could bring you back together in an even better way.
//
To finish off, it wouldn't be right for me to not add encouraging Scriptures about rejection being God's protection. Here they are:
Psalms 27:10
Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close.
1 Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
John 14:1-3
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
And then some!
That's everything from me so hopefully you've learnt a little something about rejection today! I hope you have a good week ahead but at the same time you need to be careful, there is a red weather warning as temperatures might apparently hit 40 degrees.
