Rerouting Rejection

From Red Rover to God Incarnate

May 05, 2026

Playground Rejection

“Red rover, red rover, send Shelly right over.”

Any other 70’s/80’s kids out there who rarely got their name called in this playground game? As a small, female, head-in-the-clouds musician, I was rarely on the “most wanted” list for sports games/teams. And the only time I cared was in the moment of the actual rejection.

Some rejections roll off our backs like a gentle rain. But others hit a little harder, don’t they? My friend, Jessica, wrote an entire book on the subject (which I highly recommend).

Rejection from a family member hit me hard this week. But I’ve felt rejection on spiritual and professional levels, too. And it has, at times, left me grieving, paralyzed, doubting myself, or worse, doubting God.

But yesterday God spoke to me in a fresh way from a familiar passage. He’s so “living and active” like that.

A New Lens for an Ancient Story

I’ve been memorizing Philippians 2 and focusing on all that Jesus left behind to enter the fragility of humanity (his “divine privileges,” as the NLT says). But a reading of John 1 gave me a fresh lens on the rejection Jesus entered and his response.

¹⁰He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. ¹¹He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. ¹²But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. ¹³They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

I once saw only the rejection—
a world unaware,
a people unmoved.

But now I see the invitation:
that anyone who believes
is welcomed as a child
with a God-given rebirth.

I’m sure the rejection was painful for Jesus—and hallelujah for a Savior who has taken the painful steps I take!

But he had a mission even rejection couldn’t minimize. He kept his eyes on the willing ones. Those who showed up hungry, curious, and available.

A Fervent Prayer from a Fresh Pain

God, help me see through a lens of eternity those who are right in front of me. Enable me to obey you by serving those who are hungry, curious, willing, and available—even as I pray for those who have locked the door. (You alone hold the keys and have a knack for rolling away heavy stones). Give me the capacity to be a part of the stories you are writing in the people around me. People who are hungry for a God-given rebirth.

You can join me on this journey. What’s the next step you can take away from the sting of rejection and toward serving someone right in front of you?

Blessings,