Defeating the Dragon of Rejection

"The righteous person may have many troubles but the Lord delivers him from them all." Psalm 34:19

I left the Clothing District (see post; Live Loved) and made my way over to Electronics Avenue. I had no idea what I was in for but here it is. I began work at this establishment on a crisp, cool morning eager to get in there and prove what I was made of. My new supervisor and I hit it off, which was refreshing from where I had just come from, and I made some fast friends. It is a different world inside the walls of 'plant life' and I was just about to get my feet wet.

After a couple of weeks of finding my way around and learning my new skill I was excited about my future here and where it would take me. Now one of my new friends, soon after starting her position, began to complain about the machine she was tied to all day. She even broke down and cried a few times about how terrible it was (her fingers taped from all the burns and splinters).

Let me explain this monster of a machine to you. First of all you had to stand in front of this beast all day and place small, square, fiberglass boards into grooves made to fit them perfectly. The fire breathing dragon would clamp down and boil out hot steam right into your face (like opening the oven door set at 500 degrees) all the while pressing and molding the parts onto the boards. Then it would raise back up giving you just enough time to free the compressed boards and load it with new ones before it clamped back down again which is where the burned and splintered fingers come from (a dream job, right?).

One day as I was having lunch in the break room this friend sits down beside me and begins to tell me how she can't keep this up but didn't know what to do because she did not want to lose her job. I advised her to go to our supervisor and let him know her troubles; he would understand and help her out. As she gathered her composure she decided that was what she would do. I wished her good luck as she went on her way.

Well, no sooner had I gotten back to my work station after lunch, my supervisor and this friend approaches me letting me know he needed me to switch positions with her. He thought I might be a better fit for this job.

I tried to keep a straight face, willing myself to be strong and confident and prove that this machine would not get the best of me. I would not cower down and be intimidated by it. I would not become an emotional wreck and I certainly would not cry, or at least let anyone see me cry.

I'm not gonna lie...it was horrible, but I suffered through, never complaining and deciding early on I would not talk negatively about this large creature that became a huge part of my work life. After two very long months I had weathered the storm and came out victoriously with getting to be the one who placed the last of those little boards into the mouth of that dragon. The contract had ended and I was never more elated.

Shortly after celebrating, I was told that I would be laid-off for a period of time until a position somewhere else in the plant came available. As angry, hot tears welled up in my eyes and leaked down my cheeks I couldn't believe this is how they responded to a job well done. I felt such huge rejection when I had worked so hard and done my best. Rising above and not complaining. Taking one for the team (as the saying goes). Helping a friend in her time of need. My last view as I was walked out of the building was my friend...sitting at her post...working.

So what is a brokenhearted person to do?

1. Take back control from something or someone that was never meant to have it and declare God as Lord. Acknowledge the hurt and move on. Don't allow rejection to own any of your future. Remember that God has a specific plan for you; praise Him and He will deliver you.

2. With every rejection there is a source of security. I can look back now and see how God was allowing things to happen the way they did to grow and strengthen me for His plan to take place.

3. It was a short-term setback. The hurt I felt that day was so strong I didn't think I would ever be able to overcome it. We cannot let the rejection have power over us, we have to rise above and allow room for healing, and when that happens we become a better, stronger person.

I received a call from this company about a month later with a new job offer (and as badly as I would have loved to tell them they could stick the offer where the sun doesn't shine) I accepted. I was given a better job in a different department and I even had my own desk. It took courage to walk back in that place after leaving with such a broken heart but I knew no matter what happened next I could trust God because His word says He will deliver us from all of our troubles (Ps. 34:19).

I love you & He loves you more!

Lord, Thank You for seeing me through, for replacing my pain with Your promises. For delivering me and setting me on a much better path; a path I couldn't see for the fog of brokenness. Thank You for being there for me in those times when I felt everyone was against me. I trust in You. In Jesus' name. Amen.