When Rejection Makes Us Want to Quit Dreaming

Usually, when God asks me to write about something it’s because He wants to walk me through it as well. For the words I am writing now, it couldn’t be more true.

I’ve always been a dreamer. When I was little I thought I was going to be a professional ballerina… tutus, tights and all. My sisters and I would dance for hours on end to classical music blaring from our living room stereo. We’d swirl and twirl our skirts freely, trying our hardest to balance on our toes. In fourth grade, I opened the perfect Christmas present from Santa – my first set of hot pink pointe shoes. I remember holding them so close to my heart, clinging to a dream I was certain I would have. I was going to dance and I was going to do it well.

A few months later we moved from one Chicago-area suburb to another and with it came a different school and dance studio. As I walked into dance class, a sea of unfamiliar faces stared back at me, scanning me over, taking inventory of the new girl. My smile began to fade as excitement gave way to anxiety. No one knew me. No one tried to be my friend or seemed to care. The teacher was harsh and the room was old and cold.

I didn’t like where my dreams had taken me. I didn’t like the sideways glances or critical stares. I didn’t like how I felt while I danced in that space.

I went to a handful more practices, but eventually, I gave in to comparison. I looked around and realized many of the little girls were much more gifted than I was. They were getting praise from the teacher. They were moving forward when I couldn’t master my steps. They were having fun while I couldn’t wait for class to end.

I told my mom I didn’t want to dance anymore. As a 9-year-old laying down something she loved, I felt intense sadness. As an adult, I realize that the feeling of sadness was actually rejection, and in turn, I rejected my childhood dream.

I let go of the hot pink pointe shoes and tucked their significance away in my heart. I

knew dreams could come true for others, but I didn’t know if it would ever happen for me. Instead, I chose to protect myself from the pain and hide the dream that caused the sting. In that moment, even as a little girl, I chose to play it safe.

Fast forward a few decades and Jesus has called me to chase another dream, one that means even more to me because it is an outpouring of Kingdom work. God has asked me to write. More specifically, He wants me to write His books. He wants me to help women embrace the beauty of the gospel and in turn, discover who they really are in Christ. But there are days I still feel like that little girl – struggling through the aftermath of rejection, feeling overlooked, fighting the urge to play it safe, trying not to wave the flag, close the computer, and quit.

It seems so much easier to hide our hearts and bury our dreams when our

experiences tell us we fall short. We can begin to believe the enemy’s lies that it’s too

dangerous to hope or too risky to put ourselves back out there. There’s no promise that we will not encounter pain, so why put ourselves through the dreaming process?

But then there’s God.

Then there’s His redemption.

Then there’s His redirection.

Then there’s His reliant hands that help us rebuild and renew.

God does not want us to stop dreaming or pursuing our God-given passions just

because we have walked through the fire of rejection. Jesus was very familiar with

rejection. He lived it daily. But the Father called His Son to follow His will and fulfill the

mission that was placed on His Son’s heart. The holy work of reconciliation was

accomplished as Jesus moved forward in obedience, and it was planned from the very foundation of the world.

God has plans for His Daughters too, you know. Plans that are planted in our passions and produced through our dreams.

Paul the apostle wrote to the church in Ephesus saying, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT) Nothing about us is an accident. No aspect of our making took our Creator by surprise. We were designed perfectly as His masterpiece, created new in Jesus, made to reflect Christ in all we do. God has plans for His Girls that were determined long ago. Now we get to choose to let Him work them out in our lives and watch His goodness unfold.

The truth is, we do not need to live with a fear of rejection. We do not need to be scared of unmet desires or failed dreams. Our Father knows exactly how to heal the hurts of the past and rework our broken situations into something glorious and new. He’s excellent at being the God who saves. His care can mend every single wound.

And even more beautiful is the fact that we are never rejected in Jesus. We are forever chosen in Him, eternally called to experience His love and display it for all to see. God wants us. He wants to use us. He wants to show us His faithfulness and walk together as beloved friends. We can have faith in this kind of Savior. We can trust Him with the unknown and unresolved parts of our story. He is more than able to bring about His plan by restoring what’s been tattered or taken.

So, let’s choose to be brave and put ourselves out there for the sake of the Kingdom.

Regardless of the rejection, we may face, let’s unearth our passions and give our hearts space to hope. After all, our God is a resurrecting God. May He bring His plans into fruition and bring our Kingdom dreams to life.

Becky would love to connect with you online at BeckyBeresford.com, where she hosts the weekly Brave Women Series, featuring different women and their journeys toward courage with Jesus. Sign up to receive these inspiring stories in your inbox, and you’ll also get a copy of the Brave Woman Manifesto: Five Things to Tell Yourself When Life Gets Hard for FREE. Follow her over on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter, and make sure to say hi! She’d love to get to know you more.

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