Have you ever felt rejected and forsaken? Well, this one is for you.
Jesus Christ Himself being the son of God and our Savior (for Christians/ believers) felt it too on the cross when He cried “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”. He knew it was not going to be easy but He did not know how hard and painful it was to be either. He endured it all until He felt like all was lost and at some point He broke and burst into a cry to His father in heaven. He could not stay strong anymore. He went through it all and for what? OUR SALVATION
This should be your ATTITUDE when facing suffering; focusing on the end result/outcome – changing your perspective. You will have tough times, like we all do. You will have friends turning into enemies and crucifying you. You will have the closest people in your life saying “no, we do not know him/her” like Peter – one of the best disciples, betrayed Jesus three times. You will have many attempts with no success. You will have dark and painful moments in your life and feel like all you need to do is take your life. What will you do at such moments? What will you do when it hurts that much? What will you do with the pain? Your ability to bounce back will be determined by your resilience. Resilience is learned; like a muscle, you can build it up and draw on it when you need it. In that process you will figure out who you really are and you just might become the very best version of yourself.
As I was growing up, I had such moments (it doesn’t mean that I still don’t have them, the difference today is that I know how to embrace them). It was so bad that in form 3, I contemplated suicide. At that point I felt like everything and everyone was against me. Like no one understood me. Even the closest felt that I was a disgrace and nothing good could come out of me. I almost broke to the point of death which could have robbed me the joy of experiencing the phenomenal woman I have grown to become – not done yet. What did I do instead? I BOUNCED BACK (read about the 3P’s of bouncing back from this site). I did not know about the 3P’s but somehow I managed out of it. I wore a completely different ‘garment’ which started by making a decision to continue my studies in a day school, starting all over again in a different set-up……(it’s a long story).
What am I saying? Don’t waste the pain. You can choose to come out bitter or better. Defeated and giving up on your dreams or with a new passion & fire. I chose to come out better and fired- up. I chose to let that situation and moment in my life propel me in stead of stopping me. I did not just go through it but grew through it. Sometimes you will have to let go of opinions, friends, family, class/status and many other factors and start all over again to really discover and follow your path. You will also not realize that it was meant to be your path until you are thriving through it. You need to realize that sometimes God will put and keep an enemy and situation in your life to keep you stirred up. Joel Osteen in his 10 rules of success sharing made fun of enemies saying “sometimes I feel like writing my enemies a cheque”. Yes, that’s the feeling I share too. If it were not for some situations and enemies in life, we cannot develop a thick skin and resilience. It’s in the process of proving them wrong that you also discover yourself, you become bigger and better and each day as you surprise them you actually surprise yourself more when you discover that you have amazing reservoirs of greatness within you. Let their opposition keep you moving forward.
When you feel rejected and in pain, look inside you and be strong. Don’t give up. Don’t let your dream die. Try again. Grow through it and no matter how bad it gets, tell yourself that you can and will make it. Say it and stay connected to it. With time you will realize what a hero you are!
By Wanjiru Kaburu
Author|Speaker|Communication & Branding Strategist|Coach|Founder, Infinite Space
