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"Experience a Divine Breakthrough and
Rejection this Christmas!" |
The
Loneliest Time of the Year
Christmas is the loneliest time of the year. On the surface, it doesn't seem
like a time when one would struggle with rejection. Yet for millions of people,
it is a time of pain and difficulty.
Although the holiday season revolves around giving gifts, hosting parties,
sending cards, spending time with family, and blessing others, it can be
bitterly lonely. This loneliness manifests itself in the strangest ways.
Casinos report that Christmas week is their busiest time of the year. Movie
theaters are usually packed on Christmas Day. Wounded people flock anywhere
they can to avoid being alone during Christmas.
Much of this loneliness flows out of an individual's battle with the scourge of
rejection. Rejection chokes the life out of people, showing up as fear,
loneliness, isolation, sorrow, despair, anger, or a thousand other ways. The
matrix of rejection can work like a pair of sunglasses. The tinted dark lenses can subtly--or significantly--color everything in our
field of vision. We respond to this "virtual reality" as if it were
the truth. However, this truth is distorted. The facts never add up, and more often than not, they over emphasize the trivial
to make it seem monumental.
When we don't look through God's eyes, we miss all sorts of opportunities. The
Christmas story is a great example of this.
Imagine
Yourself as Joseph
A carpenter named Joseph was heartbroken. Imagine yourself in his position. His
beautiful bride-to-be had suddenly shown up pregnant. He hadn't been intimate
with her, and in his culture, to expose her sin would guarantee that she would
be stoned to death in the public square. Joseph's mind was filled with
confusion. The woman he loved had a child growing in her womb, but it wasn't
his. He felt rejected, betrayed, and lonely.
Betrothal was a binding agreement that carried as much weight as marriage. It
could only be broken by divorce, and that was not a decision he wanted to make.
Joseph was in an awkward position; it's not like people wouldn't see Mary's
pregnancy. Eventually, her belly would swell and the townspeople would talk.
Joseph and his beloved would be ostracized and rejected.
The only thing that could bring Joseph the comfort and resolve needed to propel
him into his destiny was for God to step into time. In a dream one night,
Joseph received all the answers he needed. An angel of the Lord told him not to
be afraid, but to take Mary as his wife, for the child in her womb was from the
Holy Spirit. Imagine that!
Pulled Out
of the Matrix
Joseph woke up from the dream and walked into his future, with the woman he
loved and a Son, Jesus, who would change the world. God's touch had pulled
Joseph out of his matrix of rejection and propelled him into his life's call.
This, in turn, saved Mary from being lost in that same chokehold of rejection.
Jesus Himself led a life filled with rejection and personal grief. His nation's
religious leaders crucified Him. People from His hometown nearly pitched Him
headlong down a steep embankment. His dear friend, Peter, denied even knowing
Him. "No prophet," observed Jesus, "is
accepted in his own country."
The prophet Isaiah had predicted all of this about Jesus: "He is despised
and rejected by men, 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."
Along with this verse, it is also good to note what is written in Hebrews 2:18:
"For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid
those who are tempted." Jesus was tempted in all things just as we are,
and especially in the area of rejection. However, He overcame, and in doing so,
He can enable us to overcome.
Jesus is
the Key to Healing
The season of Christmas seems to magnetize our
rejection issues, but the central character of the story, Jesus Himself, is the
key to healing us from that pain. He alone is the source of our success and
joy.
In John 1:4, we learn that in Jesus lies the fullness of life. We need to find
the basis for our acceptance and fulfillment in our Creator and His purpose for
us. We must not take too seriously the praise or honor--or hurts and
slights--that others bestow on us. A visit with God each day helps us discover
the center of joy.
My value is not found in my wife, my friends, or my possessions. My only hope
for fulfillment and greatness in God's eyes begins through a growing, dynamic
relationship with Him.
Let God
Reveal Your Value
Rejection and Christmas go hand-in-hand. It's been that way for two millennia.
The relationships and generosity that comes with this season can magnify our
rejection issues. The choice is yours: Do you have more confidence in Satan's
power to blind others to the truth about you? Or do you have more confidence in
God's ability to reveal your value to them?
This Christmas, when the pin pricks of self-doubt and rejection touch your
heart, turn your attention back to God. Ask Him to validate and care for you.
God wants to take all of the tough circumstances in your life and use them to
prepare you for your divine destiny. He wants to give you the great gift of
joyfulness this Christmas--and every Christmas!
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward
men," the angels sang those many years ago. Those same gifts--His peace
and goodwill--are yours this December. It just takes your trust to ask Him for
them.
On behalf of Diane and my family, and the staff at Streams Ministries, I wish
you the most wonderful Christmas imaginable. May God be with you and your loved
ones during this season of celebration and generosity.
by John Paul Jackson
Web: www.streamsministries.com