Episode Details

Episode Summary:

Does it ever seem like God loves other people more than he loves you? Maybe it looks like everything goes their way. Or their families are put together, not a prodigal in sight, and everyone enjoys each other. We, however, see our lives at a hot mess, unanswered prayers everywhere, and trouble after trouble. When we equate blessing and favor with love, we can begin to feel rejected and abandoned by God when we don’t feel blessed or favored by him. In this episode, my co-host, Rev. Jessica Van Roekel and I talk about Overcoming Rejection and Abandonment with God’s Love.

Almost all of us carry rejection and abandonment because most of us have experienced someone walking away, excluding us, or making us feel like we don’t belong. Those wounds run deep. They are not just “hurt feelings.”

They can shape how we see ourselves, how we relate to others, and how we imagine God sees us. Today we want to walk into the truth that Christ’s love actually heals these hurt places.

Quotables from the episode:

• Rejection isn’t just a moment. It’s a story our hearts can start telling us, and often on repeat. It says, “See? You’re not enough.” “See? People always leave.” “See? You’re not worth choosing.” The rejection narrative comes from the oldest human experiences: a parent who wasn’t present, a spouse who checked out emotionally, a friend group that stopped inviting us, a church that didn’t know what to do with our pain.
• I’m not going to be everyone’s cup of tea and they’re not mine, my value or lack thereof in someone else’s eyes doesn’t determine my worth. Even those who know me the most, only know a small piece of me, but God knows me completely.
• It’s that time of year when love seems to be commercialized, but Christ’s love isn’t for sale. It’s offered freely…
• If you’ve ever felt unwanted, unseen, or left—Jesus understands. You are not alone.
• That’s why Romans 12:2 is so powerful. It says, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Our minds are powerful and what we tell ourselves matters. Your brain listens to your thoughts. When you think something like “I can’t handle this” or “I am loved”, your brain treats that thought as important information. It begins to adjust your mood, your energy, and even your physical reactions based on what you’re saying to yourself.
• 5 practical ways Jesus Christ’s love heals the wounds from rejection and abandonment.
• We can’t heal what we hide.
• Every rejection writes a script in our minds.
• Healing doesn’t begin with convincing ourselves people won’t leave. Healing begins when we realize Jesus Christ’s love stays.

Scripture References:

• Jeremiah 31:3 NIV “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness”
• John 6:38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.”
• Isaiah 53:3 says, “He was despised and rejected by humanity by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.”
• Hebrews 13:5  “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”
• Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
• Romans 12:2 “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
• Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,