The Rejected One

2 Cor 5:21

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

For some personal reasons, I was thinking about rejection today. Rejected like garbage. I considered the rejection that many of us feel in various arenas:

Family - Feeling that we were not accepted and cared for in our families. Or ignored. Or doted upon (rejecting our independence). So hard to get it right. Be merciful on ones parents, what a responsibility that so few are prepared for. Our own marriages show us how hard it is, openly exposing our inadequacies.  

Peers - Call it the middle school syndrome. While not as raw as middle school, we all want to fit in and be accorded admiration and affection by our peer group; the wounds of middle school and high school can last a lifetime, known as "the best years of your life." Huh? We only think they were always the best after time has dulled the pain.

Work - We strive to have employment that is both fulfilling and financially more than just getting by. Although, expenses rises to the level of money available for almost all people. Work is conflicted and chaotic. Cash sometimes seems not enough to justify the process. But what choice do we have? I am fortunate to really love my work.

Self - We disappoint ourselves. Look at addictions, perfectionism, etc. Our own worst enemies,  ourselves. Anyone who fails to see themselves as at least one enemy in their life is not being honest. I do stuff to myself that someone else had better not attempt.

Look at Jesus as the ultimate Rejected One on earth. Forsaken by family and friends, who had nowhere to lay His head, who wanted the very purpose of why He came to this earth to pass from Him. He became sin, i.e, garbage. The Garbage God. We see our lives and it starts to look like garbage. The God-Man becomes the Garbage Man. Amazing Garbage, Amazing Grace.