The very definition of rejection does not conjure up "warm, fuzzy feelings," for anyone. Nor does its related synonyms: refusal, declining, turning down, dismissal, spurning and more...
Often, under the guise of these words with a negative connotation, we "refuse to hear" or "refuse to accept" the resulting outcome that came to us through rejection.
Recently I was passed over, or rejected, as a candidate for a position with a company in Atlanta that I felt sure I was a perfect match. As part of the interview process, there was a three-and-a-half hour writing test. Only one other time in my life had I taken a test quite as intense, and it was that same amount of time in the morning, followed by an hour lunch, and then another block in the afternoon for a total of 7 hours. In that exam in 2001, I scored in the eighty-seventh percentile nationally, while the large majority of people fail the exam.
This time, referring to the one recently in Atlanta, I had an additional sixteen years of experience in the field of finance. I was tasked with sharing my experience in writing on a specific, blind subject, given to me on the day of the exam. The topic was health insurance benefits offered by an employer. Since it was a relatively basic topic to write about-given the fact that there are thousands of others more challenging to present in a clear and concise manor-I felt sure that when the timer reached zero, even more confident that I had passed the exam.
I had a short conversation, after, with the human resources manager about the job requirements. She then explained the pay and benefits and the process from offer-to-employment timeline. Again, I felt sure I had been sitting in an office that would become a familiar sight, for many years to come.
I finished my writing exam and initial interview screening on a Wednesday morning. A panel of three writers at the firm then would evaluate my work. I was told to expect a response on Friday. Friday came and went. Monday was a holiday. On Tuesday at 3:00 PM, I reached out to my recruiter. An email came to me in my inbox thirteen minutes later that I had been rejected.
How could such an awesome opportunity come my way only to vanish four short days later?
It didn't seem to add up. I had been in Atlanta for the past six weeks, had grown to love the city, despite seeing a single snowflake over the holidays and I was at this point much more qualified. Twenty years from a practice point-of-view, and ten writing.
It would be a few weeks after the news that I had been "rejected" as a candidate, that I would have a clear picture of where I was truly supposed to be putting my "writing muscles" into practice. For His purpose, not mine!
Psalm 34: 17-20 says, "When the righteous call for help, the herd hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all of his bones; not one of them is broken."
Psalm 118: 22 says, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone."
I had been rejected as a stone for the firm in Atlanta. It caused me to return to a state and place I thought I had left behind. But clarity was waiting in the wings. God had bigger plans. Our God has bigger dreams.
I would be given a miraculous and magnificent gift, just a few weeks later, as the cornerstone on a much larger platform, with the potential to reach the masses of all men; not just those in finance.
Christ is a perfect example of someone who was falsely accused and rejected. He was beaten, stoned and bludgeoned; unrecognizable. He wore a crown of thorns while carrying His own cross up the hill of Golgotha. In rejection, he paid the ultimate price for humanity. Through rejection, he became the cornerstone for all, that anyone who would choose a personal relationship with God, shall surely live, eternally!
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