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Introduction:

Judgment, rejection, and alienation can be some of the most painful experiences in life. Since 2020 we have seen some of the highest rates of alienation and isolation due to differing beliefs and value systems. Rejection can come in the form of being alienated based on a certain belief, discriminated against based on your race, religion, or value system, abandoned by a parent or loved one, and even rejection of ourselves.

Any type of discrimination, whether it be economic, racial, age-related etc, goes against what God intended for creation because we are rejecting the unique and wonderful way, He has created each person. The reason we have a difficult time seeing other people through the lens of God’s image is that we don’t see ourselves the way He sees us. When we see and accept ourselves the way God sees us, it enables us to also see the people, and accept and love them through His lens of love. This is what God intended for us in Ephesians 4 and Romans 12.

Ephesians 4 urges us to conduct ourselves with “humility, patience, and gentleness, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Verse 7 goes on to say that “grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” In this passage of scripture, Paul is urging believers in the church of Ephesus to have unity during differences, understanding that we were all made with a variety of giftings given to us by Jesus! Earlier, Paul had written about gifts to the church of Rome, but it seems like this understanding hadn’t yet gotten to the church of Ephesus. In Romans 12 he says for by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body, we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function.” This passage is taught often when it comes to church function, but not often applied to us in relationship with our spouses, friends, family members, and even strangers. We continue to experience rejection of the gifts that Jesus himself has graced us with, but God is calling us higher to accept ourselves and the people around us.

During this time, we are going to examine what makes you feel rejected, but I want to ask you first: do you accept yourself the way God created you? Can you say that you love who God created you to be? The goal of this session is to #1 Get real and honest about whether you believe you are fully accepted and loved by God. #2 Be vulnerable about the areas of yourself that you have rejected. #3 Identify any connection to times you have been abandoned and rejected by others. #4 Identify any stories or beliefs you created from times you were abandoned and rejected. We tend to create a story or belief system surrounding our emotions, trauma, or past events in our lives. It is an expectation that something negative will happen because of a traumatic or disappointing event. #5 Finally, declare the truth about who God says you are.