Wednesday, January 23, 2008

REMINDER: we are in the process of moving the blog to our church website (http://www.rccfranklin.com/). As soon as the subscription plans are worked out, we'll make the final move. Until then, you can read the blog here or at the site. As always, thanks for taking the time to read.

Rejection hurts. There is just no way around it. Whether it's an idea of yours that is shot down or a relationship that you've poured your heart into, the feeling of rejection can leaving you reeling emotionally. And, it can happen to anyone.

Remember Joseph? For those who aren't familiar, I'll give you a condensed version of the story. Joseph's eleven brothers are very jealous of him. He is obviously his dad's favorite of the 12 boys. Their rage leads them to fake Joseph's death, then, to sell him off into slavery. Talk about rejection. These are no mere strangers or fringe players in the story of Joseph's life. This is his family, his own flesh and blood. How would you survive such a rejection? Would your thoughts turn to depression, suicide, anger or bitterness? How about love and honor? Back the emotional roller coaster up here. Did I really say honor? Yep.

Let's jump into Joseph's story in Genesis 39 to understand how so much rejection can lead to so much good for Joseph. It's a simple five word phrase that could easily be overlooked:
The Lord was with Joseph... Genesis 39:2 NIV

That's it! That's the key. That's the pivotal phrase for every Christ follower. The Lord is with you. No matter what trial you are in, the Lord is with you. No matter what difficulty you face or rejection you have had to swallow, the Lord is with you. Your finances may be low and your debt crawling higher but the Lord is with you and has promised not to leave. You just have to trust that His presence can make a difference. And it can. It took Joseph from a well to a palace, from a palace to a jail and from there to second in command. God is with you. Will you trust that today in the middle of your hardship whatever it may be?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for that! It is just what I needed at this moment in time, I look forward to being home again with ya'll Sunday, I have missed my family.