Life Skills
Turning Rejection into Hope
Hope and love from the Lord can help us overcome rejection.
I’ve experienced my fair share of rejection, especially during my young adult years. As missionaries serving in Chile, my companions and I were rejected on a daily basis—through doors slammed in our faces and doors that went unanswered. I remember feeling so discouraged one day after a particular hope was shattered. I walked to a nearby bench, sat down, and sobbed while my companion tried to console me.
But rejection didn’t stop for me after the mission. After my mission, I thought I was going to return home and marry someone, only to find out he was already engaged to someone else. I’ve been rejected by potential employers and by beloved friends. I’ve even mistakenly felt rejected by God a time or two. But from all these heartbreaking moments, I’ve learned how to have hope even after being rejected. Here are just a few ideas to overcome the sting of rejection and move forward with hope.
How to Overcome Rejection
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Know that rejection doesn’t lessen your worth. Rejection may show the imperfect opinions of men, but it doesn’t reflect God’s view of you. You’re worth everything to Him. When you feel rejected by others, turn to Him and rediscover how He feels about you (see 2 Nephi 4:19–21, 34).
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Remember that even the best of us are rejected. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said: “If for a while the harder you try, the harder it gets, take heart. So it has been with the best people who ever lived.”1 Jesus Himself was the very best of us, yet He was “despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Mosiah 14:3).
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Choose charity by loving and forgiving the people who reject you (see Matthew 5:44). This can be hard, but holding a grudge only hurts you and your progress.
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Use rejection as a chance to change and grow. Rejection often feels like a step backward. But what seems to be a step backward can actually be a great blessing. Rejection can help you reevaluate what you’re doing and see if you can do something different and worthwhile as you choose to move forward.
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Don’t fear rejection. This will paralyze you from trying to reach your dreams and receive heaven’s blessings. Instead of being paralyzed by fear, act with faith and hope. Faith in Jesus Christ and hope in His word and His promises can get us through rejection and help us try again. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).
Rejection Isn’t the End
I was often rejected as a missionary, but I will never forget the joy I felt when a door finally did open and hearts came closer to Christ, including my own. I was rejected romantically, but I eventually found and married the love of my life. Some job applications were declined, but I worked extra hard to qualify myself and make headway in my career. I’ve realized through all these experiences that yes, rejection stings, but it’s never the end. Many doors have been slammed shut during my lifetime, but I kept knocking—knocking with the hope that if I knocked, blessings would be opened unto me (see Matthew 7:7).
And, if in the meantime, rejection seems to be our constant companion, remember that Christ is always with us—Christ, who was “once rejected by his own, … now exalted to a throne.”2 I know that in our deepest sorrow, confusion, and anger, we can turn with humble hearts to the Lord, who promises not to reject us but to receive us with open arms.
He has felt our pains. And our pains can be swallowed up in Him. Through Christ, we can turn our experiences of rejection into an everlasting hope. We can always have hope in Christ for a brighter, better future.