“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
–2 Peter 3:9 (KJV)
Three months ago…
Nervous energy radiates through her body as her fingers fly across the keyboard. The days seemed to drag by leading up to this moment. She’d endured a fervent mental battle, struggling with thoughts of confidence and discouragement. Nevertheless, she believed all the preparation, praying, and believing would lead to her desired answer. She was certain that her hard work and efforts would pay off. The new job would come; it had to.
Finally, the screen uploads with an inbox filled with unread and read messages from the last few days. Her eyes quickly scan the subject taglines, bypassing pointless promotions and Goodreads book recommendations, until a “Thank You for Your Interest” caught her eye. With a racing heart, she uses the wireless mouse to guide the pointer to the email and clicks it. Within seconds, the screen changes to the opened email, and she proceeds to read its contents. Her nervous anticipation quickly morphs into devastating disappointment as the words “The hiring team faced a difficult decision and has decided not to move forward with your candidacy at this time” stood out in her mind. I didn’t get the job after all that preparation, praying, and hoping. After six months of searching, being rejected, and reaching out to so many people, I finally get an interview and I clearly bomb it. Now, I’m back to square one, she thinks, exiting out the laptop’s browser window. Disappointment pulls down the corners of her lips as she stares at the closed laptop. God, why didn’t I get the job?
Two months later…
“Come right this way,” a blond-haired woman encourages, turning toward a semi-dark hallway lined by gray, plain walls. The lady speaks to another person across the room before leading the way into another spacious room that’s set up like a classroom. “Please have a seat anywhere. The others should be in shortly.”
“Okay,” the petite woman mumbles, nervousness coursing through her veins as she sets a small notebook onto the smooth-topped table and pulls out the rolling chair. Mentally, she recites the pointers a career advisor had told her to keep in mind and say during the interview. In addition, she flips to a page of the notebook where three questions written in black ink sit at the top of it. Then her eyes lift upward to see three other people enter the room. After everyone is seated and a quick introduction, the round of questions begins.
The next thirty minutes speed by, and the interviewee is surprised that it’s over, as she was enjoying the conversation and felt great about their reactions to her responses. After half the interviewing panel had left, the two that remained explained more about the position and their expectations and assured her that she would hear soon with any follow-up and their decision. The heavy door closed after the nice lady led the interviewee out of the building. Instantly, a smile spreads across her face as she undid the button of her blazer and strolled to her parked car. Excitement and joy filled her body in that moment. She had a great feeling about that interview; all that was left to do is wait and see if her good feeling was right.
A couple weeks later…
She immediately tosses the heavy backpack to the ground next to her queen-sized bed and hurriedly opens a gray laptop. She then quickly types in the password she’s long ago memorized and jams the ‘enter’ button. Then she uses the mouse to click on the Internet Explorer icon and types in the Hotmail website into the address bar. Next, she scans the list of taglines until she sees the subject line that announces an offer. I got a job offer! reverberates in her head as she jumps to her feet and thanks God in the same instant. Her lips spread into a wide smile as she clasps her hands together and thanks God over and over for answering her prayer. She finally calms down enough to open the email and read its contents, and she finds disbelief spreading across her face. Thank you, God, for not only answering my prayer but also blessing me with more than I asked for.
These three scenes highlight three important points: 1) God’s timing is perfect. 2) God is a promise-keeper and 3) Rejection is redirection to your predestined destination.
God’s timing is totally not like our timing. We may believe that things should happen at certain times. For instance, some may have thought “I’ll be married by age 25” or “I’ll finish undergrad in four years” or “I’ll buy my own house by the time I’m 28” or “I’ll make this salary by age 32.” These are oftentimes our expectations for when things should happen, but sometimes things don’t always go according to our plans. It could happen sooner or later than we anticipated, but that doesn’t make it any less bad or good that it happens at a different time than we wanted it to. This is when we must trust in God’s timing, especially if we’re experiencing a delay. “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) This scripture reminds us that there is a time for everything, including when we receive the blessings we pray for. And Proverbs 16:9 (KJV) says, “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.” It’s best to be led by God’s direction because He is omniscient and already has our future planned out. He knows what would be best and what path we should take. Therefore, trusting His timing and the process are crucial to getting to where we need to be. It won’t be easy, and at times we may not understand why things, like job rejections, transpire, but we have to trust that it’ll all work out for our good (Romans 8:28). We must keep in mind that what’s meant for us will come in due time.
The second point of God being a promise-keeper lies in 2 Peter 3:8-9. “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” This scripture reiterates the notion that God keeps His promises, but it just may not be when we expect it. It’s just like the old saying: “He may not come when you want Him to, but He’s always right on time.” The important thing is that God will come through. You never have to wonder or guess if He’ll show up; He will. That’s a fact. In the time that you wait on Him, be reminded that the answer, blessing, or whatever it is you’re hoping God will do will happen in accordance to His will. And that should encourage you to keep striving and holding on until the miracle, breakthrough, deliverance, or promise comes to fruition.
The last point is the monumental takeaway from the three scenes detailed at the beginning of this post. “Rejection is redirection to your predestined destination.” I’m sure everyone has experienced some type of rejection, whether being turned down for a job, stood up by a date, or not picked for a sports team, etc. Rejection does not feel good. Sometimes, I personally have wondered why certain rejections had to happen. Maybe you’ve considered one of these scenarios: Instead of getting stood up or ghosted by the person, why couldn’t that person have just overlooked you altogether and never approached you in the first place? Or what if someone told you the truth about your not being too good in a particular sport instead of letting you try out for the team and not make it? There are a lot of what if’s, but if you hadn’t had those experiences, would you truly appreciate where you are now? Would you have even gotten to the place you’re at now if you hadn’t been rejected a time or two and pushed harder to reach the goal? The reality is that being rejected redirects you to reach where God designed for you to be. Yes, it may hurt for a while, but the blessing that will come will be worth it in the end.
So, my hope today is that you keep these three points in mind whenever you encounter rejection. I want to encourage you not to give up praying, fasting, and working for those things you’re striving to attain. No matter how many doors close, know that the right one will be opened at the right time. Have faith to believe those prayers will be answered. In addition, I wanted to praise God and honor Him for answering my prayers within this last year. I, too, have received a lot of no’s in the last year, but I praise God for the ‘Yes’ that did come! So, the poem titled “My God” is a testament to those three points I mentioned and how awesome He is. Thanks!
My God
It seems like Rejection has been my friend for as long as I can remember.
He won’t leave me alone.
Expectation eradicated by devastating disappointment.
So much that I almost expect the rejection instead of a blissful outcome.
I started to get tired of the spoken and unspoken ‘no.’
And what’s worse is to never get the closure or explanation for it all.
So, I turn the mirror on myself—putting the blame on me because that’s all it can be
Since it seems to happen so consistently.
For instance, after so much preparation for a job position
And given a chance to show I deserve to fulfill it,
Just to flat-out bomb the interview.
Surely, I was ready for this.
Surely, I was equipped for this.
Surely, I was meant to do this,
But I can’t forget the sadness that pricked my heart at that email
That announced I was no longer in the running for a seemingly perfect position.
Despite my preparation, searching, and praying, I was getting met with so much opposition.
In this unprecedented position, I was tempted to give up, forget God’s promises, and
Settle for less than.
However, I can’t help but thank God for sending support in the midst of the storm.
Others that were heaven-sent to remind me of Romans 8:28—
That all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord.
They reminded me that things happen in His perfect timing and not when I think I should have it.
They reminded me that there is a plan for my life, and this too is a part of it.
See, even the flower won’t bloom without a little rain;
A testimony won’t form without first enduring a test.
A miracle can’t happen without seemingly impossible circumstances.
So, no matter how bad things may look, how many no’s one may get,
Or how far away it may seem, a YES from God is all it takes for things to turn around.
Therefore, I have to testify about my God;
I’ve got to take a moment and share how He answered my prayer.
Over a year ago, during a public altar call for prayer,
It was decreed
That God would not only bless me with what I was asking for
But He would exceed it.
Nevertheless, I went through a year of rejections from numerous positions
And seeing others in their winning seasons.
I got discouraged, wondering why my efforts were futile,
And completely forgetting about the promise.
And when I’d gotten my first interview for a position of interest, I completely bombed it.
Again, another encounter with Disappointment and Rejection and more questions of why.
In less than a week, after another interview,
I was given an offer,
And it was exactly as the public prayer was decreed.
In the end, I was reminded of two things:
God keeps His promises
And rejection is just a redirection to the predetermined divine destination that God has for us.
Although the rejection doesn’t feel good, it really will be worth it in the end
Because I can’t help but praise God for where I am now and where He’s going to take me to.
If it had not been for the no’s, I wouldn’t truly appreciate the yes or even get God’s best.
So, I take this moment to share my testimony, hoping to encourage someone else.
I take this moment to brag on my Awesome God, Who sees and knows all.
I know the hurt, struggle, and disappointment may not make sense right now,
But don’t give up on your desires.
Don’t stop until the answer to your prayers comes to fruition.
My God is a promise-keeper, and
A rejection isn’t necessarily bad—it just redirects you to the path you should take instead.
Keep in mind: there’s a purpose behind every situation.
See I wouldn’t be here today—blessed beyond measure,
Having more than I asked for
If it had not been for my God.
Andréa Hardaway 