More notes from Beth Moore’s, “Living Beyond Yourself” bible study, as well as a few of my own thoughts from a post I wrote in 2012
I am so thankful for this particular bible study because it never ceases to amaze me the things that God is showing me, and even more so, just how perfect God’s timing is. There are two specific events of rejection that this study got me thinking about. One of them has affected me more than I realized, especially since it was something that hadn’t seemed all that horrible since it happened so very long ago. The more I think about it, the more I realize that it has continued to affect the way I see myself all these years, and unfortunately, is a huge factor as to why I care so much about how I look. “Rejection can wound deeper and last longer than hosts of other injuries,” and boy, is that statement one that I wish I could refute, but as much as I’ve repressed any past memories of rejection and have pushed them to the back of my mind, the effects it has had on me are something that have inadvertently remained very much in the front of my mind.
The more recent event falls under the type of rejection that “empowers us to act in ways we never dreamed of behaving; rejection tempts us to invite things into our lives we might never have welcomed.” It temporarily led me down a path of self-destruction; not to mention my fair share of humiliation. But enough about the past. Since dedicating my life to God, he has allowed for some divine healing within me. I wish I could describe the type of joy that he has instilled in me, but I suppose the best description I can give is living out this joy. But before I go off on a tangent, I want to talk more about this divine healing I've learned about.
1 Peter 2:4-10 says,
“As you come to him, the living Stone-rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him-you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
For in scripture it says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chose and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.’ Now to you who believe, this stone is precious, but to those who do not believe, 'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,’ and, ’ a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.’
They stumble because they disobey the message-which is also what they were destined for. But you are a chose people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
God is sovereign. Sometimes rejection leads to something better. In my case, my rejection led to a series of stupid mistakes. Silly me. However, had I not hit my own personal “rock bottom” then I wouldn’t have realized quite how "off-the-path" I have gotten because, even long before I hit rock bottom, I wasn’t solely living for God. I kept letting small, silly things like Facebook, drinking, guys, caring too much about what other people think, etc. get in the way of living for God. I can’t believe I couldn’t even make such small sacrifices like that for the God who sacrificed his ONLY SON for me. I strive to give all of my heart to God now, rather than just the pieces leftover after all that stupid nonsense. I strive to do this on a daily basis. I strive to allow God to pick up the pieces of my heart so that His spirit may truly continue His work within me.
God’s supremacy has also allowed for the greatest love of my life to come out of my first heartbreak. When you love someone (whether a parent, friend, boyfriend/girlfriend, sibling, etc), and that love is not returned, God is there to intercept it before it drops to the ground. God’s love for us is a divine love. My heartbreak from rejection has led to the most beautiful relationship I could ever possess; a relationship between me and my heavenly Father. Now that is some divine healing!
The fullness of Your grace is here with me
The richness of Your beauty’s all I see
The brightness of Your glory has arrived
In Your presence God, I’m completely satisfied
For You I sing I dance
Rejoice in this divine romance
Lift my heart and my hands
To show my love, to show my love
A deep deep flood, an Ocean flows from You Of deep deep love, yeah it’s filling up the room Your innocent blood, has washed my guilty life In Your presence God I’m completely satisfied
Commentaires