Romans 11:15, For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?

I stepped across the sidewalk and made my towards my car in the parking lot. I was coming out of a strip mall finishing up an errand. As I moved forward I heard a faint call come across the wind. I was not sure if it was directed at me, so I continued to move along. When I heard the call a second time slightly louder, I knew that it was indeed an attempt to gain my attention.

I turned around and came face to face with a young man sitting upon a dirty overstuffed duffle bag on the sidewalk. He asked me if I had any spare change. I actually did not have any change on me so I asked him if he was hungry. If he was in need of food, I would go to the bakery at the end of the strip mall and purchase him something warm to eat.

He paused and stared at me for what felt like far too long. I assume that he was trying to process my words. Then, with soulful, sorrow-filled, and unblinking eyes he answered, “No thanks.”

It was my turn to stare. I looked back at him- not with pity, but with a feeling of rejection. He did not want what I had offered. I told him I was sorry and turned to walk away.

As I pondered the interaction I had with this man, I felt The Lord spirit melt over my heart. The feeling of rejection was false and I needed to let it go.

How much more Christ’s heart must be pained when His saving grace is offered and then rejected. How much more heaven must be pained when a child of The Lord is told, “I can give you the bread of life and pure, living water.” And with soulful, sorrow-filled eyes, a child of The Lord answers, “No thanks.”

Jesus knows greater than I the feeling of rejection. Not only were His teachings rejected by the church leaders, He was rejected by His own beloved people, the Jews.

Too many times in life we allow an experience of rejection to tear a hole in our heart. And then the hole in our heart becomes greatly deformed and stretched beyond recognition. So stretched and deformed that we are not even sure what caused the tear in the first place.

But here is the miracle of Jesus: no matter the deformity, no matter how big the hole- whether it is a small tear or a vast, cavernous black vortex with seemingly no end- Jesus can melt into every crevice and fill you to the point of overflowing.

So completely overflowing there simply isn’t room for feelings of rejection.

Father, may you continue to fill us so that less of us exists and there is only more of you. May you continue to comfort us no matter the rejection we experience or are tempted to harbour within our soul. Thank you for your willingness to love us, even when we reject you. Amen.

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