Like a lot of kids these days, when I was a teen (way back when), I longed to be accepted. Oftentimes doing or saying things that were out of character just to fit in. I wanted to wear the cool Member’s Only jacket even though I thought it was just as silly looking then as now. I so badly wanted to drive a Honda Prelude and park in the popular kid section of the high school lot, date the most popular girl in school, and earn a starting position on the football team–you know, all the things that made you popular in 1987. Or at least all the things that I thought made you popular or one of the in crowd. But I fell short in many (if not all) of these areas. Rejection is a tough pill to swallow.
Rejection is Hard to Understand
Lately, my 17-year-old and I have been having a lot of conversations about rejection. He is not used to feeling this way and he’s having a hard time understanding the feeling. It takes me back to those days in 1987 when I see the disappointment on his face. I remember how it made me feel and I see what it’s doing to my kid who has been raised in a healthy, safe, and loving home. It makes me hurt even more for the kids in Crossnore’s care. Rejection is something they have faced all too often in their short lives. Those rejections and disappointments are so much deeper than not having the cool jacket or being the star on the football team. As the campus pastor, how do I help them understand that amid rejection and disappointment there is hope?
The Celebration of Easter
The great celebration of Easter comes because of overwhelming rejection. Jesus was rejected time and time again before his crucifixion.
- Judas, one of his Disciples, rejected him.
- The Roman Authorities rejected him for claiming to be the King of the Jews.
- The crowd rejected him when they gathered and shouted, “Crucify Him!”
However, there was a grand plan–something good and amazing. There was hope when there was no joy. Jesus’ rejection led to our salvation. He endured the unimaginable, so that we may have life.
There is Hope
In the moment, rejection can feel humiliating even debilitating, but it is temporary. Rejection is just a bump in the road along the way. Because of Jesus and the miracle of Easter morning, I know there is a grand plan for you and me–something good and amazing. Because of Easter morning, there is hope.
