From the Beginning

Rejection reminds us that we live in a broken world. Experiencing it comes from Adam's decision to disregard the Lord's only restriction in the garden.  As soon as Adam ate the fruit he experienced the emotions of guilt and shame.  Adam then hid from the Lord when He arrived for His daily walk.

The Lord called out to Adam with a question regarding his whereabouts.  The Lord knew the answer, but Adam needed to fess up to what took place and the fear he now felt in his relationship with the Lord.

Rejection breathed out of his words when Adam blamed the woman given to him by the Lord.  Adam must have reasoned in his thoughts that it would have turned out differently if the Lord hadn't placed this woman in the garden with him.  Did the option of being alone without a helpmate suddenly appeal to him instead of facing his own responsibility for the shame of the nakedness of how he now felt? (Genesis 3)

How this cycle has continued throughout history. When we avoid responsibility for our sinful choices that hurt others, we birth distrust and ultimately rejection into our relationships.  As we put up our hands and walk away without any attempts to be at peace with those we have sinned against or refuse to forgive those who sinned against us, we perpetuate in our hearts the ability to continually repeat this cycle of rejection in our lives and those around us.

Balking responsibility and blaming others for our sinful reactions creates distrust in the heart.  When we ignore sins and pretend offenses never happened, then the pain caused by it festers into bitterness, anger, and an unforgiving spirit.  Suddenly, wounded people lash out in defensiveness and wound others.  The longer sin is left unchecked, the better chance it has to give birth to torture within the spirit and eventually death to relationships, even new ones.

We need to seek the Lord for the eyes of our hearts to be opened to the truth regarding the toll that passing the buck has on our emotional and spiritual health.  May we not cast blame on others but instead take ownership to our sins.  When we rid our lives of distrust, fear, and pride, then we can  revel in a healing that fills our lives with peace, and joy.