From Sorrow to Joy. How to Overcome Shame From Rejection.预览

Throughout history, barrenness and widowhood were some of the most abashed states one would journey through. Lineage was necessary, and when a woman couldn't bear children, this weight of shame hovered over her life. We see this in 1 Samuel with Hannah. Shame carries unanswered questions about why God allowed this and how I could explain this if someone asked. Most people find themselves lamenting in prayer for years, pleading with God to turn their situation around, and refusing to enjoy their present, in the hope of a specific outcome in the future. So, they live with this despairing nudge of "If this is my lot, how will I continue to face reality while it feels like the pressure is on me?"

Have you ever felt this ache of shamefacedness where you feel you are a letdown to yourself, your children, your family, your career, or that life is letting you down? If so, you are not alone. The internal tug of humiliation is sometimes rooted in rejection.

Rejection is when you are pushed away or to the side by someone you so desperately want to be accepted and loved by. In this scriptural case, the barren woman wanted to be accepted by her husband and society by providing a child. I wanted to be accepted by my father, ex-husband, and people so that those around me would see value in me since I didn't believe I had any because of my life circumstances. You may want the acceptance and validation of someone and something, but what do you do when you are refused?

In Isaiah 54, God uses the example of a wife forsaken/refused in her youth. This is an instance of a woman who married while young and believed she was doing the right thing for the right reason, yet and still, she (Israel) was refused. Her husband essentially stated that she wasn’t enough through abandonment. It's not just words that fuel shame and rejection, but actions. The Lord Himself stepped into her story and declared, 'Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called." The Lord would be to her (Israel) all she desired from her husband and more. He would remove the fear and shame and become Her (Israel's) perfect husband. God does the same for us.

When someone experiences deep betrayal through adultery, or when your best friend turns her back on you, insulting you with words that pierce you to your core. Or, when you've done everything to raise your children right and in alignment with the Word of God, and they still choose the world's way, or when you work hard for the raise or promotion, and it is given to someone else, who you feel is less deserving. What do you do with pain from it all?

Who can heal a heart that has been abandoned in their youth? Who can take up a heart and stand and say, I'll be your husband? Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, can. God Himself will step in and fill the void in your heart. Even if you were refused in old age, God sees and knows, and He always has a plan for even the darkest seasons of our lives.

You've got to fight the good fight of faith, holding on even when the shameful voices in your mind are louder than God's truth.

If you are journeying through a challenging season, you are not alone; your God is your husbandman and Father.

Be encouraged.