27.
Dr. Seuss was rejected 27 times while trying to get his first book “And To Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street” published.
242.
Banks rejected Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks, 242 times.
Have you ever felt like your life was a downhill slope?
I have felt this quite frequently lately.
Nothing can go right. If something could mess up or go wrong, it does. I have been rejected for so many jobs that I thought I was a prime candidate for. Rejection hurts. We all face it at some point, but sometimes it can feel as if nothing could possibly go your way.
I wanted to give up.
I thought to myself, ‘nothing else can possibly go wrong.’
Sometimes, it feels like life kicks you when you’re down.
I honestly did not see the point in trying anymore. Why bother?
Then I remembered—even Jesus was rejected.
“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” –Isaiah 53:3
He knows the pain you feel every time something doesn’t work out the way you wanted it to.
“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” –Hebrews 4:14-16
Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, has promised us great things. When things are going wrong, is it maybe because you haven’t been praying about it as much as you should have?
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” –Matthew 7:7-8
God has three answers for everything we pray: yes, no and wait.
Sometimes when all we want is that “yes” from Him, we can get frustrated. It’s important to remember that God has great plans for you and He wants the best for you. When God tells you no, it might be because He is saving you for something better.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” –Romans 8:28
We live in a world full of sin. Not everyone around you is a believer. Remember that sometimes, God uses a rough situation to strengthen us and make us more like Jesus Christ.
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” -Romans 8:18
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” -James 1:2-4
Most importantly, whenever you feel like you have faced so much rejection, remember that God sent his son, Jesus Christ, to this earth to die for us—knowing that not everyone would accept Him.
Don’t give up. Rejection is okay, Jesus showed us that Himself.