God Is Not Mad at You: You Can Experience Real Love, Acceptance & Guilt-free Living by Joyce Meyer Page A

that happened to you and are aware that it has held you back in life. This may sound like an exaggeration, but children are like tender saplings; even a small wind can break their little limbs. The good news is that it’s not too late! You can shake off the effects of those unfortunate experiences and go on to do great things. Whether the pain of rejection comes from something major or minor, it is a very real pain, and unless it is dealt with it can have lasting effects.
    I am very grateful that God gave me the grace to press through the pain of the rejection I experienced and to follow Him. I can’t imagine what I would be doing today if I had not, but I do know that I would probably be living in bondage and pain.
    The devil uses the pain of rejection to try to prevent us from living the life God intends for us to live. I am sure the world is filled with people who are dissatisfied and unfulfilled. They let the fear of man’s rejection determine their destiny, instead of following their own heart, and in an effort to keep other people happy, they have ended up unhappy themselves. I urge you not to do this, or if you already have, then begin rectifying it. As believers in Christ, we have the privilege of being led by the Holy Spirit, and He will always lead us to the perfect place if we let Him. Of course Satan will try to hinder us, just as he tried to hinder Jesus from following God’s will for Him.
    Jesus was rejected and despised by many individuals and groups, the religious leaders of that time and even his brothers.Peter denied Him, and Judas betrayed Him, and yet He pressed through the pain and obeyed His heavenly Father.
    Satan plants “seeds” of rejection in us, hoping they will grow into huge plants in our lives that will bear poisonous fruit. But, if we remember that God never rejects us and that His will for us is that we be loved and accepted, we can realize that rejection is an attack from the devil and we can refuse to let it have an adverse affect on us. Knowing how valuable you are to God, and that He has an amazing plan for your life, will enable you to endure the pain of rejection for the joy of what lies on the other side of it.
    Each time you experience rejection, remind yourself that God loves you; that when people reject you, it doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. While we need to have compassion for other people’s problems, we can’t let them project their problems onto us. My father rejected me as a daughter and sexually abused me, and for years I believed that it was because something was wrong with me. My father was harsh and mean, hateful and controlling. He used people to get what he wanted, with no concern for how his actions affected them. I eventually realized that what he did to me was not my fault, but I did suffer with the pain of rejection for many years.
    My first husband rejected me for another woman while I was pregnant with his child, and it compounded my belief that I was useless, worthless and no good. Each thing that happened to me served to convince me more and more that I was deeply flawed and unlovable. Finally I realized that my first husband had the problem, not me. He was the one who was unfaithful, not me. He went to prison because he was a thief, not me. He lied, would not work, used people and added no value to anyone. But during the time that he was rejecting me, I could not see past my pain, and itwas easy for Satan to deceive me and blame me for the problems we had.
    If you are experiencing the pain of rejection right now in your life, stop and seriously think about the person who is rejecting you. I am sure if you look at their behavior and their actions, not only toward you but toward other people as well, you will realize that they have the problem, not you. I was recently answering questions on a radio call-in show and a woman called in to say, “My husband is addicted to pornography, and a year ago he told me that I look disgusting compared to the