From Shame & Rejection to Value & Purpose by Christina Cannon

Life presents challenges for everyone. We all face struggles. No one is exempt.

Many have made poor choices or have experienced harmful events.

You may find yourself lost in despair, believing there is no way out. You may think that there is no way God could ever use you. You may feel unworthy and that it would be an impossible miracle for your life to be redeemed let alone have any purpose.

Well, I have some stories to share with you. God is a God of what seems impossible. He redeems and restores anyone willing to trust Him. Not only have lives been restored, but God uses their stories to bring hope and help to the people He places before them. The good news is He continues to redeem and restore all who are broken and lost.

Here are a few of those stories

Mary Magdalene

Luke 8:2

John 20:1-18

Mary of Magdala was possessed and tormented by seven demons.

Mary had been tormented for years and must have felt hopeless and helpless. Shame was part of her story. She felt the sting of rejection from the people around her.

Jesus sees Mary and commands the demons to leave. Mary is liberated from the prison of possession from a life controlled by demons. Mary, with a heart of gratitude, follows Jesus and becomes a well-known person in scripture. In fact, she is the first to see the resurrected Jesus. God uses Mary to announce that Jesus is alive. John 20:18 tells us that “Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that He had said these things to her.”

God saved Mary, and she went on to proclaim that Jesus was Lord. She became a faithful follower and an influential woman in the lives of many.

The Woman at the Well

John 4:4-42

A Samaritan woman who goes to get water at Jacob’s well meets Jesus.

Samaritans were a despised people. This Samaritan woman was not only despised by the Jews for her race but by her lifestyle. She had been married 5 times and now lives with the 6th man. Because of her shame, she goes to get water in the heat of the day to avoid being mocked by the other women. Jesus, sitting at the well when the Samaritan woman arrived, asks her to give Him a drink. She is surprised that he would ask her for a drink because Jews did not speak to Samaritans.

Jesus tells her that He is the living water.

Jesus also tells her what He knows about her circumstances.

The Samaritan woman is seen by Jesus. He sees her pain. He sees her worth. She received hope at the well that day. Because of her interaction with Jesus, she returns to town to proclaim, “Can this be the Christ?”

vs 39

“Many Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” 

Jesus is not deterred by our status. Our position in life is of no regard to our value. Our mistakes do not determine His love for us. He saw the Samaritan woman and spoke to her with compassion. Jesus saw her and sees us. He did not overlook the Samaritan woman and will not overlook us.

Rahab

Joshua 2

Rahab the Harlot 

Rahab was a Canaanite woman who lived in Jericho. Joshua, Moses’ assistant, sent two Hebrew spies to Jericho. The men lodged at Rahab’s house. The King had heard that the spies were at Rahab’s house and sent word to ask her where they were. Rahab hid the spies and told the King’s men that they had left and she did not know the way they went. The king’s men left to pursue the two spies. Rahab asks the spies for favor before she lets them down by way of a rope leading outside the walls of Jericho.

vs’ 8-9, 12-14

“Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you” “Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a sure sign that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” And the men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.”

Because of Rahab’s courage and bravery her household was spared. Rahab was used by God to save two Hebrew Spies.

Joshua 6:25

“But Rahab the prostitute and her father’s household and all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive. And she has lived in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.”

Hebrews 11:31

“By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.”

Rahab, hearing the story of the parting Red Sea, believed.

vs’ 10-11

 “For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.” 

Rahab’s life changed. Her story is one of redemption and purpose.

Matthew 1:5 lists Rahab in the lineage of Jesus our Lord.

“and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab”

None are too broken, too lost, or too messed up. God restores all who come to Him.

In each of these stories, shame and rejection defined them, but God saw them for who He knew they could become, not for what they had done.

They said yes to a restored life.

When we say yes to what God has for us, our lives are transformed. Our value is restored when we see ourselves the way that God sees us. We are His beloved sons and daughters. We must believe the truth of who He created us to be…His valued and loved sons and daughters.

If you are struggling to believe that your life has value and that you are beyond repair, know that that is a lie. God’s word tells us differently.

Psalm 147:3

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” 

Isaiah 61:3

“to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
    to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

There are many stories of redemption in scripture. You probably know many people whose lives have been transformed. I am one of those people. God has transformed my life and given me purpose. I am 100% certain that He will do the same for you!

When you struggle to believe your worth

“Allow the One who created you to be the One who defines you!”