A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Isaiah 53:3 (NJKV)
Thought for today: Scott so wanted to be like the other kids, to be able to play games outside during recess, to be able to run through the hallways of his school. He tried in every possible way to be like them, yet at every turn he faced the sting of rejection as he was not included in activities, even though he could only be a spectator. You see, Scott's legs stopped working when he was very young due to SMA, a degenerative neurological disorder. He would likely be confined to a wheelchair all of his days.
Have you ever felt the sting of rejection and tried everything in your power to avoid it? Do you think that Jesus felt rejected when He became man? It is unimaginable to think about what Jesus gave up to become one of us. The baby in the manger, so adored, would soon become the man rejected by many. I can only imagine that His pain when rejected was even more magnified than ours. Not only were people rejecting Him but also His message of salvation. Jesus knew that by not believing in Him, they were doomed to eternal punishment.
Things changed for Scott when he met Jenny. She wanted to spend time with him and told him that even though he couldn't run like the other kids, he had an amazing mind and a kind heart. Things started looking up for Scott as he suddenly began to see a new purpose in his life and was able to look beyond the rejection.
During this Christmas season, as you reflect upon God's wonderful gift to us of His Son, examine your own heart. Is fear of rejection holding you back from God's higher calling on your life? Are there hurts from your past causing you to not want to risk relationships and reaching out to others? My prayer is that we all can look to Jesus as our role model. Although rejected and despised, He continued to risk, continued to reach out to those around Him. Will you ask Jesus today to help you to become more like Him?
