The Beauty of Rejection

I have experienced a lot of rejection in my life…

And, I’m not just talking about from guys, although, that has been a lot of it.

Schools, jobs, friends, even fellow Christians.

And, it sucks.

I often wonder…What if…?

What if this person hadn’t rejected me?
What if I had gotten this job?
What if I had gotten into that school?
What if I had a place in that church?

But, I realized that there is a beauty in rejection.

You see, I’m switching jobs. I got a new, wonderful opportunity to try something new, to add to my resume and further my career.

But, at my former job, there was a guy…not one I worked with, but one who came into the gym as a member.

And, I talked to him a few times. Cute, nice, and someone I felt like I wanted to get to know…So, with my last day there and no way to talk to him again, I left my phone number with a trusted friend to pass along…I figure I’ll give it to the end of the week to decide if I’ve been rejected…

That’s where the realization came in: no matter what, my world is in tact!

Though I do often wonder, what if…? I find that my life now is much more beautiful than anything that may have happened if the “desired outcome” had occurred.

Had either of the two guys I was most interested in High School returned that interest, however briefly, my heartache over not being wanted would have probably been heartbreak over loss of a relationship, as neither would have been a good long-term match. And, I am thankful for the friendships I had/have with them.

Had I gotten into Pepperdine instead of VU, I would have missed out on some of the most amazing people I have had the pleasure of meeting. I would have probably drowned during the worst year of my life without my friends and teachers. I am convinced I  would not have such a clear picture of God’s love and grace without that time in my life at VU.

Had I gotten certain jobs earlier, I would have missed out on other amazing people, missed out on some amazing travels, and probably wouldn’t have been able to decide on what educational course to go on.

And, that’s the beauty of rejection:

Not only is the world still standing around me, it’s more beautiful that what I had planned.

If we don’t get all caught up in the sting of the rejection, we are left open & bare for something else, something potentially greater. We get to see that we are more resilient than we ever knew. We get to see that we still manage to live and grow. And, we learn to build a life we want, no matter what the world throws our way.

I don’t know what will become of this new job, where it will lead. I don’t know if Mr. Wonderful will use my number (if my friend remembers to pass it on). I don’t know what other rejections the future has in store for me.

But what I do know is,

I am so thankful for those rejections, because the beauty is, they open the way for me to think of something else I often wonder…

What’s God going to bring my way next…? 

“We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
– Romans 5:3-4

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This is one of my Tuesday @ 10 posts, and this week’s prompt is I often wonder…
As is my usual, I’m also a little late, but this is part of my Lovely Sunday series.