Mike Henderson
Please Share!

When You Feel Rejected

My dad grew up never belonging or feeling loved. It may be hard for some to imagine, but his mother never accepted him. In fact as I grew up, I watched my dad continually reach out for his mother’s love and acceptance. It never came.

I still remember when he bought her a new refrigerator. I wasn’t there, but dad replayed her words. Her only comment was, “I don’t need a damn refrigerator.” I often wondered how deep those words went.

My dad was the youngest son of eight kids. In a musical family, he was the only brother not to have an instrument. He was left out of the family business. But it didn’t stop him from creating a successful business of his own later in life.

As I read the story of David and Goliath, it becomes painfully obvious that David also grew up as the youngest son fighting for recognition.

David, like my dad, had to be a fighter from a very early age. Keep in mind that David’s three oldest brothers were all in the army. When you grow up having to fight your siblings, there is no way you are going to out muscle them. You have to get creative in order to win.

As David grew, soon the time came when he was the one designated as the shepherd. As the youngest, you tend to get the dirty jobs. So David found himself alone most of the time. Just him and his sheep.

One thing I have learned about livestock; you get attached, emotionally. While I have only had dogs, cats, chickens, one sheep, and guineas, yes, I must admit I get attached, even to the birds! Sad, but true.

So much so that I get upset when we lose a chicken or a guinea to the foxes, bears, rats, hawks, or whatever else comes along for a midday or midnight meal. Yes, I know that the Bible says that God feeds the animals, I just wish He would feed them somewhere else.

At any rate, David had to get creative when it came to killing the bears and lions that were after his sheep. I’m not sure how he manhandled the lion and the bear, but he did get very good with a sling.

Love and acceptance by one’s mom and family seems like a birthright. Yet, not everyone gets to experience a high level of acceptance. Rather than consider himself a victim, David rose to a higher level. He didn’t give up or give in to the ones who didn’t believe in him. Most of us don’t even know his brother’s names, but we do know David. And his ultimate victory over Goliath. But that’s another blog post…

About the Author Mike Henderson