There is a question (and generally, a whole topic) that I despise more than slow Wi-Fi and student loans, and if you’ve read the title of this article you probably have a good guess as to what it is.
Continue reading “to the twenty-something single who’s drowning in pressure”
Rejection.
What a harsh word with an even more hurtful meaning.
Rejection is ugly. Rejection sucks. It can come in so many different forms and yet still have the same effect on us — negativity. Rejection can be the at the heart of a lot of insecurities we carry.
I am doing a study on the book Uninvited by Lysa Terkerust with a group of some of my close friends and the whole study is focused on rejection and feeling less than. After our first group discussion this past week, I knew that this was going to be the next post for this blog. Rejection is real, and many of us struggle with it daily. Whether it’s current or past rejections, the sting that comes along with it doesn’t change.
I wish that I could say it does.
When I was in 6th grade, I was bullied. Not like being pushed in a locker and being a victim of tasteless jokes bullied, I was verbally bullied. I have struggled with my weight ever since I was in 6th grade. There were people who would talk behind my back, thinking I couldn’t hear them, while others simply did it straight to my face. That was the beginning of my daily struggle with rejection, and unfortunately, I will never ever forget about the things that happened in 6th grade.
The bullying ended in about 8th or 9th grade when these people started to grow up. Apologies were said and I forgave those who hurt me, and I honestly am so thankful for that. I became somewhat more confident but still struggled with my self-image. As I grew older, my confidence dwindled again. I was constantly comparing myself to other girls, envying that they were skinnier and prettier than me. Because to me, skinny was the equivalent to beauty, which is not true even in the slightest bit.
My insecurities continued to grow until my senior year of high school until I met a boy. He made me feel like I was the most beautiful girl in the world. He treated me like no other guy had and I was smitten. I easily fell for him, and I fell hard. We dated for 2 ½ years, and although I still struggled a lot with my self-image (because let’s face it, when you’re in a relationship, it’s easier to gain weight from things like date nights out and that’s exactly what happened to me). But this time around, it was easier to accept who I was because I had someone right next to me who loved me for me, and that was the greatest feeling in the world.
Then BOOM! Rejection struck again. My boyfriend began talking to another girl while we were still together. We broke up the day after I got back from a week long vacation in Colorado and it seemed like the more I found out about them, the harder the rejection feeling hit me over and over again. The insecurities flooded back through me, reopening the doors that I thought had been closed for good. The enemy feeding into my negative self-talk.
“He left you because you were a bad girlfriend.”
“You know, the reason he started talking to that girl while you were still together was that you just aren’t good enough for him anymore.”
“He never even loved you, how could he love someone like you and yet leave so easily?”
And the list continues.
Rejection had once again made an appearance in my life, and this time it made sure that I knew it was back. I still to this day think back to that time in my life, and for a few moments, those thoughts about myself creep back into my mind. Sometimes I don’t feel like enough. Sometimes I don’t feel beautiful because I still often think “if only I was thinner.” Sometimes it just plain sucks.
If only I had known sooner that my rejections DON’T have the final say. If only I had realized and fully believed back in 6th grade that Jesus made me exactly who I am, created in HIS image. That he loves me no matter what.
You guys, do you understand the depth of that? This means that no parent, no friend, no family member, and no past mistake can ever define you. That means for me, the scale doesn’t define me. My ex and past relationships do not define me. When I finally realized this a few months after the heartbreak I went through, I began to feel free from those rejections.
God wants all of you. Not just the “good” parts of you, he wants all of your brokenness, all of your mistakes, because through him you are given a fresh start.
So remember that.
Remember that whenever your rejections try to consume you.
They do not define you.
Let God’s love quiet you and bring you closer to him.
If you need a new word to describe yourself, I have one ready for you.
Loved.
– Aubrey
Have you ever gone through an unbelievably difficult, dry season? A season of hopelessness, heightened emotion, or searching and doubt? I have. I am. And it is tiring.
In the last couple of months, I have learned an incredible amount about myself, about life, and about my relationship with the Lord. My faith has been challenged, my friendships refined, and my patience tested. In fact, that is exactly what I want to talk about today – patience. Or rather, waiting.
Happy Saturday! Today’s post was written by my dear friend and roommate, Hannah. She has been a blessing to me the last two years while doing life with her, and I know her wisdom will reach places far beyond anywhere she’ll physically go. Let her words encourage you today, friends!
Hannah //
I have found over the years that the Father likes to speak to each of us in different ways. For some the Father speaks through the music that they write, others the art they create, for others still it’s through visions or dreams. As for me, I have started to realize that He likes to speak to me during the times when I journal.
This is it. This is the moment that I’ll lose it all. I close my eyes, drop my head, and take a deep breath. It’s finally happened. I’m caught. No escape, no way to talk my way out of it.
This last week, we had a reader send in a post that she felt the Lord had placed on her heart. The concept of having someone else’s posts on our blog has not been something I’ve given much thought to, but in this process I have become so very welcoming to the wise words of another being posted here. I never want to limit the Lord in what he does with our blog. That being said, I want to share with you the post our reader sent in!
// Aubrey //
To the girl who doesn’t feel like she is enough,
I understand.
I am struggling right along side you.
Have you ever set an alarm for the morning (or five if you’re like my roommate Emily) and snoozed it so many times (literally 9 times if you’re like my roommate Emily) that you’ve compromised every small detail of getting ready? Maybe you’ve made a promise to yourself that you’re going to get up and spend a little extra time with God, or eat a healthier breakfast, or take time to go for a quick run, but you let your feelings take over when the moment comes.
Maybe you’ve made a promise to do something with or for someone else, but when the time came around to do it, you realized you had something better to do. It’s not always on purpose, and sometimes you really do have something more important come up — but how many times have you backed out on your word because of what else you might want to do or get done?
Yes, I’ve been there — too many times. And I’m sure you have, too.
Happy Valentine’s Day!! I’ve never thought of Valentine’s Day as a “real” holiday, though I definitely never turn down a chance for heart shaped chocolates. It’s a day to celebrate love, and love is valuable.
It’s no secret that our culture today is centered around ourselves. In fact, our society is often called the ‘selfie culture’. We post pictures of ourselves for likes, videos to get the most views, and we can’t wait to share our accomplishments with the world around us. We always want to know what other people think, and we look for validation with every choice we make. We spend $8 billion (Worldwatch Institute) on cosmetics each year, and Americans alone spend north of $60 billion (U.S. News) a year on weight loss products and services. We are infinitely searching for more. We’re constantly seeking a thrill or expectation, satisfaction or achievement in something we love — and sometimes even in things we don’t love. We need to fight against this.
the element blog 