Close The Door!

Elder M. Edmunds

Co-Pastor of United Ordained Church

February 1999

“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not” –(Isa.53:3).

“He came unto his own (His domain, creation, world), and his own received him not” -(John 1:11).

Rejection hurts, and to one degree or another, every single one of us has tasted the pain of feeling rejected from other people.

Before the birth of Jesus Christ, during the time of His earthly life, and after His resurrection and ascension, our world has experienced the pain of rejection.

For example, in the third chapter of Genesis, which is known as the “Temptation and fall of man,” we read how Adam rejected the council of God, and ate from the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

We can even gaze at the life of Job and see how Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, and Elihu rejected him. We have heard and read about the life of Moses when he defended his own ethnic brothers due to the hand of injustice by a taskmaster, and his own accused and rejected him.

Or, how about Jeremiah, David, Hosea, Stephen, John the Baptist, John the Revelator, and most certainly as our text reveal, even Jesus are the many examples who were touched by this terrible experience of rejection.

From time past, to time present, even many of our children were and are assaulted or abused by their parents. Many so-called friends have and will discard friends. Several people that have appeared different from the so-called “norm” were looked down on as well as mocked. Moreover, still many today are ridiculed in our society for their physical or mental qualities. Even the hand of divorce has ripped are families apart all in the name of rejection.

For this word “rejection,” is an experience that is so universally understood that it requires no definition. For all who are housed in this holy and sanctified edifice know what rejection means.

Rejection can take many forms — hurtful and cutting words, withdrawn attention, unreciprocated love, malicious assaults, lack of encouragement, and total shutdown of communication, all affect the fabric of our humanness.

Simply put, rejection hurts; and it will always be one of the foremost issues involved in the dynamics of our interpersonal relationships.

For example, there are times we try to pretend it does not matter, but in reality, our emotions experience a furious attack of discomfort and sorrow. When we claim, “I could care less,” we often mean, “I wish I did not care so much!” No matter how we attempt to explain it away or depreciate the source, being rejected by others causes us excruciating pain.

Even memories of rejection in the past make us apprehensive, cautious, and restrained. We flinch with fear of what people can do or say to hurt us. The last thing we want - the last thing we will allow – is to get close to anyone again. Why, because we desire not to place ourselves in a vulnerable position or risk to be devastated all over again.

If I could dig just a little deeper in the truth, there are many if not all of us, who go to the extreme to do almost anything to keep approval and acceptance coming our way. We compromise our convictions, change our values, and withhold our opinions to ourselves in order not to do or say anything that will cause others to reject us.

Nevertheless, I’m here to encourage you, motivate you, and remind you through God’s word that, you no longer need to compromise, devalue, nor withhold your opinions any longer for others approval and acceptance of you.

For there is one who will accept you as you are. He will help you through the discomfort of rejection by defining who you really are; then you soul will crave just for His acceptance, and you will no longer be victimized by the rejection of others.

For He, Jesus, is the one in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted (in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin). As well, He is able to succor you, who have felt the excruciating pain of rejection.

So, tell the devil and all his cohorts that influence the dark minds of all who deliberately dispense rejection on you, that though you felt his excruciating pain of rejection, “you have been accepted in the Beloved.’ ‘And now, you are “closing the door” to fear, to self-pity, to discouragement, to negative opinion, to devastation, to deprivation, and disappointment and will fulfill your destiny.”

Look at your neighbor and say, “Close the door!”

Close the door to all that causes you to seek the approval and acceptance of man and not God.