It has been awhile since I've blogged about Lysa TerKeurst's Book "Uninvited" but I keep feeling this nudging from the Lord to finish. So, I'm going to try to do that over the next few months and hope you will join in the journey. Check out all the posts in this category on my bio page. 

I truly enjoyed this book and it opened my eyes in my own journey of faith.  I'm re-visiting this book, so the Lord can reveal more to me and I'm praying it helps others in the process.

Chapter 9 is entitled, "Why Does Rejection Hurt So Much?" I don't know about you, but as an elementary school student I didn't always fit in, in high school I was part of "a crowd", just not the "A crowd", as in the "popular" crowd. Even now, fully into my adult years...sometimes those feelings come back and I hate to admit that.

However, one quote from this chapter really stood out to me..."You aren't set aside, you are set apart." It's the whole idea that what we may see as rejection, God sees it differently. Maybe He is saving us from something that would have been a burden, or maybe He is preparing us for another assignment.

God uses these times of rejection in our lives as 3 gifts (pages 110-112).

"The gift of being made less. When we decrease, God has room to make big things happen."

I love the attitude of John the Baptist in John 3: 27-30:

"John answered, “It’s not possible for a person to succeed—I’m talking about eternal success—without heaven’s help. You yourselves were there when I made it public that I was not the Messiah but simply the one sent ahead of Him to get things ready...the bridegroom’s friend, his ‘best man’—that’s me—in place at His side where he can hear every word, is genuinely happy. How could he be jealous when he knows that the wedding is finished and the marriage is off to a good start? “That’s why my cup is running over. This is the assigned moment for Him to move into the center, while I slip off to the sidelines."

We need to get out of the way...so God can work and so He will be glorified. John Wesley, put it this way in his Covenant Prayer "...Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee..."

"The gift of being lonely. This will develop in you a deeper sense of compassion..." for others. Each person' journey is unique, but we can find common ground and share our stories with others which can bring comfort and hope to their present circumstances.

"The gift of silence." When we are by ourselves with Jesus, it is His voice that we can hear more clearly. We can lay aside the "busyness" and listen.

Daniel 2:21-22 (NLT) "He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars. He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness..."

"Isn't it a lovely thought that God might be waiting for there to be silence in your life in order to share some of His best secrets with you?" (pg. 112) Spend some extended time in prayer with Jesus and ask Him what He wants to reveal to you! He loves to answer those prayers!

As you journey through this life, may you seek the Lord in the areas where you feel left out or misunderstood and let Him shine His light on your heart. Don't forget...He may be tweaking you in the quiet places, to save you or prepare you for something ready for view in public!

Check out Blog #10 in my Uninvited Series. 

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