Though rejected... He loves

It's 11:30pm and I should definitely be attempting to sleep right now because I'm completely exhausted, but I can't... not yet. I went to church tonight for an awesome show... basically a bunch of different bands played and it ended with So Elated, my friend John and Ben's band. I hadn't yet seen John since I've been home from Africa and it was really sweet to have time to get reacquainted with one of my favorite people from high school.
Anyways... I gotta get to the point fast tonight. As I was driving home I was brought back to a time when rejection hurt more than I thought I could ever bear. When you're in high school and you're in love with someone and they're not in love with you, it hurts. When you're in college and you're in love with someone and they're not "in love" with you, it's gut wrenching. When you're an adult and you love someone and they don't love you back, it's devastating. You all know what I mean and I know you've all felt that rejection at some point in your life. It hurts right? It's one of those things where you don't believe it until the other person is in a different relationship, not with you... that's when you start to really give into the fact that you've truly been rejected. We try and try to convince ourselves that something will happen, or we even might try to change ourselves to make something happen. However, most of the time rejection is rejection and it hurts. It doesn't matter how old or young you are or if you're a believer or not... rejection hurts. Sometimes the pain is unbearable, right? I mean, really think about a time when you were rejected and it crushed your spirit. Maybe it isn't love for you, maybe it's rejected from a job. Maybe a group of friends. Maybe your family. Whatever the situation, it is one of the absolute worst feelings in the world. On top of the embarrassment of being rejected, many times you're expected to move on as though whatever you were rejected from didn't matter.
BUT after thinking about all that for a minute I got to thinking about Jesus and how deeply He feels emotion. When we are overcome with a strong emotion it consumes us and is often all that our thoughts can be focused on. Can you imagine being the Creator of the universe, sending Your only Son to die a sinner's death on a cross to save a sinful people, only to be rejected on a daily basis by literally millions of people? Rejected day in and day out, over and over. Do you think He's numb to it by now... like maybe because it happens so much it's not a big deal? Do you think He can brush it off of His shoulder and move on? Can you?? No way!!! The God of the heavens and the earth, the Great I AM, feels emotion on a level that I don't think I'll ever understand. He has walked this earth and He knows more about rejection than anyone I know. In His short time on earth He was rejected by thousands. Now sitting at the right hand of God, He faces rejection by even more.
I just can't imagine that kind of pain and sadness. I try to hide when I've been rejected... I want to be as far away from whatever I've been rejected from. Jesus doesn't run. He continues to stand with arms spread. How amazing is that? How can you not want to get on your knees right now, or raise your hands to the heavens??

How He Loves

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
how He loves.

We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…