lifewithomg

Have you ever been rejected? Yeah, me neither. I’m thinking of adding sarcasm to my resume, right next to “Professional Procrastinator” and “efficient in rejection.”

Now before I get really deep, I had to make sure that I knew exactly what rejection was (according to Google, of course.)

rejection: the spurning of a person’s affections. (Now if you’re like me and didn’t quite understand what spurning meant, I looked that one up too. It means to reject with disdain or contempt.)

Once Upon a Time, there was a girl. Let’s say this girl’s name was Singing & Dancing (S&D). S&D loved every aspect of the idea of love. Valentine’s Day was one of her favorite holidays! She loved watching other’s go the extra mile to show their love to one another. Did she get special treatment like that? Only from her father (which made him an even greater man than he already was) and she was content with that. Until she wasn’t. Now, because her brothers started getting married at young ages and she had a horrible obsession with chick flicks, S&D thought that she too would need to get married soon. It looked fun! Boy, was S&D blinded by Hollywood drama and further from the truth.

One day, a boy came into the picture. Typical story really. Girl meets boy. Girl likes boy. Boy decides to go a different route and date some other girl. Is it HIS fault that’s what he wanted? Not at all. Moving up a few years, S&D gets older and starts college. Yet, another tragedy. Girl likes boy. Boy likes girl. Boy ALSO likes girls close friend. Now, S&D has matured and grown throughout the years, so she was going to make sure that the first incident never happened again. S&D said, “Boy, bye!” and did a 180 on him. I think Galleria said it best in The Cheetah Girls:

Even though Singing & Dancing had regained her confidence, on her off days, she would think back to those tiny instances that would slowing start to shape how she felt about herself and others around her. Though she portrayed confidence on the outside, she secretly listened to the discouraging words buried deep within. Now, flash forward to a few months ago. S&D meets someone at a family event. Girl meets guy. Girl thinks guy likes her. Wrong. Guy likes girl’s sister! Now, if Singing & Dancing could just remember what Galleria had said, she’d be set. Naw, this girl done lost it. She goes home and cries out to God, “WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING TO ME?!” He responds calmly, “I’ve never rejected you, but yet that’s not good enough for you, is it?” Taken aback that there was a response, she says, “God, I just want to experience love the way everyone else is! I want someone to love me and give me chocolates I won’t eat and shower me with compliments.” Then God said, “My beautiful daughter, I have a love for you unlike any man on earth. I created you out of dust; you were made from my image! I will always love you, no matter what wrongdoings you have done. Even when you unintentionally reject me, I will never leave you.”

Singing & Dancing is me. Singing & Dancing might be you too. Now, make no mistake, these are my experiences and all of them have happened, just not completely how I described it above and not necessarily in that order. I did go through some tough times, but they weren’t all like Singing & Dancing. For a few years I battled with feeling rejected and not loved. The silly girl in me thought it could be filled by finding a man to call my husband, but I was wrong. It was equivalent to searching for chopsticks at a hardware store. You know that no matter how long you look or how hard you try, you’re not going to find them. But, because you’re so arrogant, you end up wasting years walking up and down the aisles, refusing to believe the truth. I’ve certainly grown and matured over the years.

I’ve heard all of my life that God loved me so much that He sent His son to die on a cross for my sins. But, it wasn’t until I hit rock bottom that I let go of my expectation of a “perfect spouse” and allowed God to wrap His arms around me and shower me with a genuine love like never before. It was amazing. After that night, I was never the same. I thought I was already experiencing everything God could offer me. I have never been more proud to say I was wrong.

I encourage you to love. Love yourself. Love your neighbor. Most importantly, love the One who created you. Once you experience an unfailing love like His, I guarantee you’ll never be the same. Go to a quiet place where no one can disturb you (mine happens to be at 2AM), get down on your knees and just listen. Listen to what God is trying to communicate to you. Always remember that even when you didn’t deserve it, God has always loved you, and He always will.

Once Rejected But Forever Loved,

OMG