Rejection

Since being approved for Ordination pending a call in October and putting my profile together, I have now been rejected for over 75 jobs. Not all of these are church jobs, some are chaplain jobs with hospice locations and hospital jobs. Some of these are even non-profit jobs working with homeless persons or domestic violence shelters. Each day I open my email to another rejection. In a majority of the cases, I haven't even had the chance to interview.

My struggle: I know God has called me to ministry. I know that God has gifted me for ministry. I know others see this because they have approved me for ordination. Yet I can't seem to get a break. I can't get one church or organization to take a chance on me and hire me. I would be a pretty awesome hire, too. I'm smart, funny, gifted, have awesome pastoral care skills, great experience, and am not afraid to take on a challenge. And after being rejected this many times, I wouldn't take any position for granted. Yet each new day leads to more rejection.

How does a person keep on going? How do I keep on going? I could give up and take a job in customer service, I have years of experience doing that. But giving up after spending 8 years in college, thousands of dollars in educational expenses, thousands of hours writing papers and preparing or ordination interviews, and countless hours in prayer about my call with God, giving up is not in my future. Giving up on my call would mean giving up on God and myself.

So I sit here searching for jobs, applying, praying for one chance while preparing for more rejection. I won't let the rejection win.

What do you do to get through your rejection? How do you remain positive?

Heather

PS. Please don't say "everything is in God's timing," or "God is just preparing you for something better" because that would mean that God is causing all the rejection. God isn't in the business of heartache and rejection, God is in the business of love, acceptance, and resurrection.