Abigail’s* journey of rejection started twenty-eight years ago when she was a two-week-old baby, and her mother decided to drop off little Abigail at her grandparents. Abigail has thought about this rejection many times throughout her life.
During her childhood, she was able to be in and out of her parents’ home, but was hurt again when they went through a divorce. Later Abigail’s mother brought a boyfriend home, who at one point tried to abuse Abigail.
One bright spot in Abigail’s life was her grandparents, whom she lived with for much of her growing up years. They were believers and did their best to give Abigail a stable home life. They took her to church regularly and taught her about God and the Bible. She made a number of friends in her youth group, including her best friend Susan.
As time went along, Susan met and married a young man. Abigail also started spending time with a young man named Justin. Eventually Justin asked Abigail to marry him, and she said yes. It seemed that Abigail was finally finding a place of acceptance and belonging after feeling rejected for so many years.
However, three months before Abigail’s wedding, she received some devastating news. Her husband-to-be, Justin, had been cheating on her with her best friend Susan. Not only that, but Justin and Susan were making plans to get married after getting a divorce for Susan.
Abigail felt an overwhelming sense of loss and rejection that was even greater than the rejection from her own mother abandoning her so many years earlier. To make the situation even more painful, Abigail found out that Justin had been spreading false accusations about her, so that even the others in her youth group were turning against her.
As time went on, Abigail plunged deeper and deeper into despair until she began seriously considering suicide. Fearing death, she continued to cover up her pain by entering into a life of immorality. She eventually met another young man named George. They moved in with each other and had a child together. However, George turned out to be abusive, and soon Abigail was back to the dark feelings of pain and rejection.
Even though Abigail was living a sinful life, she still remembered many of the values she had received from her Christian grandparents. She wanted to raise her daughter as a Christian, but George wasn’t interested in that. Eventually she decided that she needed to end her relationship with George for the good of herself and her daughter.
Abigail still couldn’t stay away from her life of immorality after breaking up with George. She was continually plagued with feelings of guilt, wondering what would happen to her if she were to die.
On September 11, 2020, after passing a billboard in Pennsylvania that said Jesus, your only way to God, Abigail called. She poured out her heart and shared the struggles she has faced and the rejection she has felt. She told of the many ways that God has been working miracles in her life and showing mercy to her in spite of her unfaithfulness to Him. She questioned whether she is on her way to heaven, even though she knew she was living a life of sin.
Our team member explained to Abigail what Jesus said about the kingdom of God and that true salvation comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ. This relationship begins when we repent from our sins, and then grows as we yield our life to Jesus and walk in obedience to His commands.
Abigail was especially touched by the word “yield.” Although she had “believed” in Jesus as a child, she could not honestly say that she had yielded her life to Him, at least not for any length of time. She was beginning to see the difference between just having a head knowledge of Jesus and surrendering her life to Him.
Our team member told Abigail about the free literature we offer, including a book called The Kingdom that Turned the World Upside Down, which describes the kingdom teachings of Jesus in more detail. She agreed to receive a literature packet with this book and a few other items to encourage her to surrender to Jesus and live for Him. One of the last things she said on the phone call was that she wants to think about these things and consider them more.
Let’s pray that Abigail would enter into a genuine relationship with Christ and that it would give her the victory and fulfillment she longs for.
* Names in this publication have been changed to protect identities.
