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Reflection, Lament and Jesus
Rejection stinks. It hurts. When I experience rejection, I question my own abilities and sometimes wonder who I am. Jesus felt rejection too. He felt it deeply. He was rejected by his community. He was rejected by his family, his friends, and even his best friend, Peter.
If you have felt the pain of rejection, Jesus knows what it feels like.
Lament is an expression of deep pain, often resulting from rejection. Sorrow, grief and regret are expressions of it. The Bible is full of lament. Two thirds of the psalms are laments. Every major person in the Bible experienced deep lament – Adam & Eve, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses and Jonah. Jesus experienced lament, deeply.
When Jesus felt rejected, he would take time, by himself, in prayer and contemplation. He knew (or remembered) he was not alone.
Jesus shared his lament with God and with others.
When Jesus lamented, he focused on others – particularly those in need – and kept their health (and salvation) his primary concern. He found faith in who he was and his reason for living.
He also forgave those who rejected him. It didn’t matter to him if they accepted his forgiveness, he did it anyway (and he may have done it for himself to unburden the pain of sorrow and grief).
How do you handle rejection?
When I felt rejection while working in sales, I would remind myself of who I am and the reason why I am working. I learned from closing sales and from rejection. It seems that life is a balance between the two.
How do you handle lament?
Following Jesus’s example (and Noah, Abraham, Sarah, and Moses), I try to surrender my grief and sorrow to God. Lamenting to God reminds me to focus on those less fortunate than myself. It helps me to think outside of myself and to try to lift someone else’s burden.
Here is a prayer for those who are dealing with rejection and lament.
God is good. God is good to me. God is good at being God. (repeat three times)
God, to you I surrender my desire to prove my worth.
I surrender my need to understand why bad things happen.
I surrender my fears of others walking away and taking their love with them.
I surrender my anger, unforgiveness and my stubborn ways that hold me back from love.
I lay all of this before you Lord. Consume my lament with your holy fire. Turn it into ashes.
From now on, I invite you to walk with me as an unburdened child of God, with my soul safely held by you, and my heart free and ready to be the one you have lovingly created and restored.
Amen.
- Fr. Dave
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