Rejection has many faces
Rejection is not something we can deal with well regardless of our age. Its damages are emotional, physical, and spiritual. Today I was reminded by that reality again as my homeless friend called and told me he struggles with his stay at a shelter. For whatever reason, he does not feel understood and accepted. He would rather be in the cold outdoors but Covid-19 does not grant him that choice.
Rejection has its own expressions and languages based on different cultures, religions, and social groups. If we are honest with ourselves, we are all guilty to some degree of rejecting others due to our own biases and fears. The worst thing we can do to another human being is to be indifferent.
Recently we have seen and heard about various accounts of how some people have become hostile towards Asians in different parts of the US and Canada because of Covid-19. Rejection can now lead to violence, not just physical violence but emotional violence that damages one's heart.
Being rejected by others is bad but not as bad as going through life rejecting oneself. People who are doing that will never look up and look at the eyes of others. They completely have no appreciation for their talents and gifts. They barely have the feeling of being alive.
Celebrating Easter is celebrating the fact we are no longer outsiders to the household of God. Celebrating Easter is also celebrating our new life in Christ where all of its gifts can be expressed freely. It is the celebration that affirms the bridge between the Creator and the Created.
"So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family." (Ephesians 2: 19)
