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Facing rejection (3)
Even when we make big mistakes, or repeat the same one several times, it doesn’t change God’s mind about us. ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. I will build you up again, and you…will be rebuilt’ (Jeremiah 31:3-4 NIV). God will correct us when we need it, but we mustn’t confuse His correction with rejection. ‘The Lord disciplines the one he loves’ (Hebrews 12:6 NIV). God disciplines us because he loves us so much that He wants to help us reach our highest potential. God doesn’t reject us, so we shouldn’t let others put us down because of our past mistakes. We don’t have to boast, exaggerate, or pretend to be someone we’re not to make ourselves seem better in other people’s eyes. We can be real and authentic because we’re secure in God’s love. If we feel that we always have to please everyone, our self-worth will always be at their mercy. But God already sees us all as equal, so we don’t need to strive for approval from others. In Proverbs 31, there’s a description of a virtuous woman. Verse 18 says: ‘She knows that what she makes is good’ (NCV). She wasn’t full of pride, she was just confident in who God had made her to be, the skills He had blessed her with, and the assignment He had given her to fulfil. Her confidence came from within, not from the approval of others. When we’re feeling rejected or unappreciated by other people, let’s try to keep in mind that God created each of us for a unique purpose, and that we already have His approval and love.
What Now?
Write down Jeremiah 31:3-4 and decorate it. Save your creation. Whenever you feel rejected, take a look at it to remind yourself of God’s opinion of you.
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