We must respect ourselves enough to break the pattern of placing unrealistic expectations on others.

Rejection isn't just an emotion we feel. It's a message that's sent to the core of who we are, causing us to believe lies about ourselves, others, and God. We connect an event from today to something harsh someone once said. That person's line becomes a label. The label becomes a lie. And the lie becomes a liability in how we think about ourselves and interact in every future relationship.

Bitterness isn't usually found most deeply in those whose hearts are hard but rather in those who are most tender. It's not that they are cold; it's that they've been made to feel unsafe.

A FATHER'S GREATEST FEAR is usually that he won't be able to provide for his family. A mom's greatest fear is typically that something will happen to one of her children. Fear is a funny thing. It sometimes provides healthy caution, but more times than not it seems to produce undue stress and anxiety regarding things over which we have little to no control.

Why doesn't Jesus work for me?" is never the right question. Instead, when circumstances shift and we feel like we fall short, we should ask, "How can I see Jesus even in this?

God isn't afraid of your sharp edges that may seem quite risky to others. He doesn't pull back. He pulls you close.

Rejection steals the security of all we thought was beautiful and stable and leaves us scared and fragile and more vulnerable than ever.

Satan knows what consumes us controls us. Therefore the more consumed we are with rejection, the more he can control our emotions, our thinking, and our actions.

Numbing the pain never goes to the source of the real issue to make us healthier. It only silences our screaming need for help.

I'd believe I had prayed about things, but in reality I'd only worried about them, talked to friends about them, and tried to figure out how to solve them myself.

But Jesus doesn't refuse to reach out to us in the middle of hurts and heartbreaks and mess-ups.

The enemy loves to take our rejection and twist it into a raw, irrational fear that God really doesn't have a good plan for us.