Genesis: Beginning the Story (Part 1)

Have you ever felt rejected? What happened? What did it feel like? Rejection comes in many forms: hurtful words from someone close to you, not being invited to a party that everyone else is, being made fun of by a group of people,
or sitting alone in a crowd. Regardless of the form it takes, rejection never feels good. Unfortunately, in our world broken by sin, everyone faces some sort of rejection in their lives—some more than others. Rejection can really damage our self-esteem and overall emotional health.

But here’s the good news. In Christ, God will never reject us. At the cross, Jesus was rejected so our sin would not keep us from a relationship with Him. Jesus knows what rejection feels like. All through His life on earth, people hated His message, culminating in His crucifixion. Even then, the people made fun of Him, tortured Him, and even played games to see who would get His clothes. If our Savior has suffered rejection like this, we can come to Him with any rejection we are facing.

Because He is God, Jesus could have walked away from suffering rejection. But He chose not to because He knew the suffering He faced on the cross was the only way His people could have a relationship with Him. His love for us is that great! So when we are enduring rejection and feeling unloved, we can run to Jesus, the One who suffered the ultimate rejection willingly because of His love for us. • Melissa Yeagle

• How can it be helpful to remember Jesus’ love for us when we are feeling rejected?

• To learn more about what it means to put your faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection, check out our “Know Jesus” page.

You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. 1 Peter 2:4 (NLT)

Read Verses:

Genesis 2:8-22; 3:1-19; 12:1-3