⁸ “But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, ⁹ I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. ¹⁰ So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. ¹¹ “All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. ”

Rejection. I’m sure that most of us, if not all of us, have felt it before. The feeling of not being wanted. The feeling of not being pursued or valued. The feeling of being alone. The fear of rejection can create an internal paralysis that can act as an undercurrent in all that we do.

What I love about the above passage is that God is there making a huge statement to all of his children. “I have chosen you and not rejected you.” What I love about that statement is that it is ongoing. You could read that statement 50 years from now and it will say the exact same thing. You are chosen and NOT rejected. People may reject you but in so doing they are disagreeing with God…that’s not a good place for them to be.

What if you lived your life as though you were actually chosen? Not chosen because of your looks or personality. Not chosen because of your degrees or socioeconomic status…chosen because God loves you. What if you lived like that? What if you merely desired the acceptance of others but didn’t need it because you had a deeper sense that God accepted you?

Life would be freer. Your sense of self-worth would be higher. You could appreciate the acceptance of family and friends without treating it like a drug that you need in order to make it through the day. My hope for all of us is that those words will truly sink in. “I have chosen you and have not rejected you.”

You are chosen and will never be rejected.