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Rejection.

If you have ever been rejected by a loved one you know it can have devastating, long-term effects. It can shatter you in a million pieces. Pieces you cannot put together again. Sometimes as a widow we experience rejection by family, friends, coworkers, and even strangers. If it happens when your whole world has been turned upside down, the pain can be debilitating and excruciating.

I speak from experience. My first marriage ended with rejection. It was rejection by a loved one that magnified the rejection I had already experienced in my life. Down to my very core, I started to believe I was incapable of being loved. That God didn’t care for me or love me.

But God didn’t let me stay there. He allowed me the opportunity to see how truly angry my adopted father was over the situation. A glimpse of God’s truth manifested through someone close to me – I was worth fighting for.

Love.

As a child who went to church often, I was taught to recite John 3:16 (KJV):

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Unfortunately being taught to recite this powerful verse so early in my life led me to concentrate on repeating the words and not really letting them fully permeate my heart. I knew that God sent his Son to redeem the world from sin, I believed in Him and invited Him to be Lord of my life. I celebrated who He was and that I would be with Him for all eternity. It was like I had gotten the outer hull of a nut and treasured it above all else but never got to actually taste the goodness of the meat, the very core of it.

As I began to process the new seed that was planted by my adopted father – that I was worth fighting for, I went back and reexamined in a new way whether or not I was loved by God. I began to meditate on the words I had so diligently memorized as a child. But eventually, I went beyond just what the words said and thought about why God chose to offer redemption in this way. He could have just wiped the slate clean and said we are starting over, there will be no sin. From this day forward you are holy. But He didn’t. Instead, He sent His Son, God and man, in the flesh, to suffer and to pay the sacrifice fully, Himself for us. He paid the price once for all. He showed all of us we are worth fighting for!

Redemption.

Redemption is a gift beyond anything we can imagine. It shows us the depth of God’s love for each and every one of us. So while we may hurt each other in ways that can feel devastating, there is nothing that can take away that God Himself has shown us that we are loved. He paid a tremendous price for our redemption! May we fully understand and remember we are so loved! Out of our redemption springs forth our true and lasting hope.

Lord, as we continue to process our grief and the many challenges we face, let us not lose sight of how fully loved we are. Let us embrace with every ounce of our being that even in the midst of tragedy You are working in us and through us. Let us boldly not only proclaim Your love but also help us demonstrate Your love to everyone, always! Lord, may we generously lavish forgiveness upon others who are struggling. Help us each and every day to show others that they are worth fighting for! Amen.