Danny Fourie

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, … and you will find rest for your souls.”

Matthew 11:28-29

If deep down in your heart you believe that you are not good enough, it can have adverse effects – no matter how you came to believe this. People, who believe this about themselves, react differently.

Some will withdraw. “I cannot do anything good, so what’s the use.” In this way, they lose their self-confidence. They are insecure and will risk no initiative out of fear that they might again be criticized and despised.

Some will go out of their way to do something for others in the hope that they will be noticed. A third response, due to negative experiences, would be to act negatively themselves. They would criticize other people and belittle them. They are now doing to others what they themselves have experienced.

Jesus will never reject you. He would never say to you that you are a failure, that you are worth nothing. More than anyone else Jesus knows what it means to feel rejected, not to experience love. He was the Son of God who sacrificed everything for the sake of our salvation. The people spoke sneeringly of him: “Is he not the carpenter's son?” Luke tells how the people thought so little of his preaching and how they eventually cast him from the synagogue.

No one would recognize him, not even the national leaders. In their eyes, Jesus was only good enough to be nailed to a cross. Jesus went through hell. But this same Jesus comforts you and me by saying that he loves us, that he accepts us as we are. With him we can relax. Even though we may feel stupid or insecure or think too much of ourselves – with him we may find rest for our souls.

Prayer: Thank you Lord Jesus that you know that we often feel hurt and rejected. Lead me to find rest with you. Amen