Reflections for 11/12/10

"There's no pain on this earth like the pain of rejection."(R.Rohr "Radical Grace" p.367)

Most people have heard the phrase "no pain, no gain." This of course is usually said in gymnasiums and in other athletic endeavors. And that is true. I know that when I come back from the gym and when I recall my more athletic days, my body would hurt until it got used to being used.

There is of course also the pain that one can get when we have been hurt physically do to an accident or an illness. The hope with that is that time and proper medical care will take care of that pain.

I've been told by mothers that giving birth to a child is incredibly painful, but of course in the end hopefully quite joyful.

But the pain of rejection is a different sort. It is of course an emotional pain, a memory that can last quite a lifetime. Maybe there are lessons to be learned from it, but that does not take away the hurt.

Every break up with a "girlfriend" at some time in my life has hurt. Being told "it is not about you" didn't help. I lucked out with college applications and didn't get those thin letters of rejection. I started getting those when I entered the job market. And I still get them today. The dejection of the thin letter is never easy to overcome. I just keep doing what I need to do in my current place.

I'm certainly glad that my life has not just been about rejections. I have a person in my life who didn't reject me. I have a job where I am still valued.

I would prefer to never be rejected again. However the only way to avoid that is to never risk. And that would make for a very dull life.

Blessings,
Ed