JOYCE: I REMEMBER READING IN A BOOK YEARS AGO,
AND IT REALLY MINISTERED TO ME AT THE TIME AND IT'S KIND
OF WHAT YOU'RE TALKIN' ABOUT.
IT SAID, "SOMEDAY, YOU'LL REALIZE THAT WHAT YOU THOUGHT
WAS YOUR GREATEST ENEMY WAS YOUR BEST FRIEND."
AND THAT'S SO TRUE.
YOU KNOW, I LOOK BACK NOW, AND ALL THE HARD, SO HARD,
HARD, HARD THINGS THAT I WENT THROUGH THAT WERE REJECTION,
THEY BROUGHT ME CLOSER TO GOD.
I MEAN, I WAS FORCED.
IT'S EITHER GOD OR NOBODY.
AND I REMEMBER ONE DAY SAYING, "WELL, GOD, I JUST DON'T
HAVE ANYBODY BUT YOU." HE SAID, "OH, POOR, JOYCE,
YOU'RE JUST STUCK WITH GOD."
[LADIES LAUGHING]
GINGER: YOU'RE STUCK WITH THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE.
JOYCE: "POOR ME, I DON'T HAVE ANYBODY, BUT GOD,
THE KING OF THE UNIVERSE." AND THAT DOESN'T MEAN
THAT I DON'T WANT FRIENDS OR NEED FRIENDS, I DO.
BUT I'M GLAD THAT I DON'T HAVE TO HAVE THAT TO FUNCTION.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE TALKIN' ABOUT,
AND I THINK IT'S SUCH A GREAT POINT TO BRING OUT.
BECAUSE SO MANY THINGS, THEY GET STARTED--
ESPECIALLY, ON SOCIAL MEDIA, AND THEY GET STARTED AS--
YES, WE DO NEED PEOPLE AND IT IS GREAT TO HAVE A GROUP.
BUT THEN, ALL OF A SUDDEN, NOW, IF THAT GOES TOO FAR AND NOW,
I HAVE TO HAVE THAT TO BE HAPPY, OR IF I DON'T HAVE THAT
BECAUSE GOD'S GOT SOME SPECIALIZED PURPOSE FOR ME,
I DON'T HAVE THAT, THEN I FEEL LIKE THERE'S
SOMETHING WRONG WITH ME, THEN IT'S GOTTEN OUT OF BALANCE.
CHRIS: OH, ABSOLUTELY.
AND I THINK JESUS, THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE, LIKE,
I AM REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT ALL THIS LANGUAGE
ABOUT TRIBES AND GROUPS, AND WHATEVER, NOW.
BECAUSE IT'S LIKE WE'RE TRYING TO REPLACE--
IT'S JUST ANOTHER FORM OF REPLACE--
AND THOSE PEOPLE, WILL INEVITABLY LET YOU DOWN.
I MEAN, EVERY ONE OF THE DISCIPLES,
WHERE WERE THEY WHEN JESUS WAS HANGING ON THE CROSS?
I DON'T THINK ANYONE WAS THERE.
JOYCE: HIS TRIBE LEFT.
CHRIS: HIS TRIBE LEFT.
JOYCE: THAT'S KIND OF WHAT HAPPENED TO ME,
MY TRIBE ALL LEFT.
CHRIS: AND SO, EVEN THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE,
HE CONSTANTLY HAD, WELL, LOTS OF TIMES WHERE
HE LEFT HIS TRIBE TO BE JUST WITH THE FATHER,
OR TOOK A COUPLE FROM HIS TRIBE WITH HIM.
SO, THERE ARE ALWAYS-- WE JUST GOT TO BE CAREFUL.
AND I KNOW IT TAKES TIME, BECAUSE EVERY--
NOBODY WANTS TO BE REJECTED, THAT'S THE WHOLE THING.
BUT SOMETIMES IT'S NOT EVEN THE OTHER PERSON'S PROBLEM.
IT'S THAT WE WERE LOOKING TO THEM FOR SOMETHING THAT
WE COULD ONLY EVER GET FROM GOD.
AND YOU WON'T KNOW-- I'M NOT SAYING THIS IS EASY.
LIKE, I'M NOT SAYING THIS IS EASY.
BUT YOU WON'T KNOW THAT YOU'RE ONLY GOING TO GET
IT FROM GOD UNTIL YOU DON'T GET IT FROM THEM.
AND NORMALLY-- AND THERE ARE TWO SIDES TO THAT.
SOMETIMES, YOU SET YOURSELF UP, I THINK THOUGH,
FOR UNNECESSARY REJECTION.
BECAUSE YOU DON'T NEED TO PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE.
I THINK SOMETIMES, WHAT I WATCH ON SOCIALS
AND PE--I'M LIKE, "OH, MAN, YOU'RE JUST
DESPERATELY TRYING TO GET ON THAT ACCOUNT,
OR HAVE THAT--" AND YOU'RE SETTING YOURSELF
UP FOR A REJECTION BECAUSE GOD ACTUALLY NEVER MEANT
YOU TO BE IN THAT PLACE.
OR SOMETIMES, IT REVEALS THAT WE'RE CHASING SOMETHING
THAT WE WERE NEVER MEANT TO CHASE.
IF WE GO, "I FEEL REJECTED FROM: I DIDN'T GET THAT JOB,
OR I DIDN'T GET THAT PROMOTION, OR I DIDN'T GET THAT GIG,
I DIDN'T GET--" WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE; BUT MAYBE,
YOU WEREN'T ACTUALLY REJECTED.
YOU WERE NOT EVER SUPPOSED TO HAVE THAT PLACE.
AND SO, IT CAN ALL GET LIKE, A LITTLE BIT MESSY IS WHAT
I'M TRYING TO SAY, IN THE MIDST OF ALL OF THAT.
AND UNLESS, YOU HAVE THAT PLACE WITH THE LORD,
WHERE ULTIMATELY, YOUR ACCEPTANCE IS IN HIM,
AND IT SOUNDS GRANDIOSE-- AND I'M THINKING OF PEOPLE THAT
WOULD BE LISTENING TO THIS NOW, THAT HAVE GONE THROUGH
A MARRIAGE FAILURE, OR A FRIENDSHIP FAILURE
OR THEIR PARENT DIDN'T WANT THEM; IF WE LIVE
IN A WORLD WHERE WE DON'T GIVE PEOPLE HOPE IN CHRIST,
AND TO SAY, YOU ACTUALLY CAN BE HEALED AND WHOLE,
THEN WE'VE GOT NOTHING MORE TO OFFER THAN THE WORLD.
BECAUSE IN OUR CURRENT CULTURE-- AND I AM ALL ABOUT
TRAUMA THERAPY, AND I'M ALL ABOUT
THINGS NEED TO BE CALLED OUT, BUT I'M ALSO ALL ABOUT
JESUS CAN HEAL YOU, AND JESUS CAN MEET YOU
IN THAT PLACE OF BROKENNESS, AND JESUS CAN HEAL THAT
PLACE OF REJECTION.
BUT IT'S ALMOST LIKE WE KEEP GOING AROUND THIS CYCLE
IN CURRENT CULTURE THAT ALMOST SAYS,
"OKAY, I CAN--" I'LL USE MY EXAMPLE,
WHEN MY MOTHER LEFT ME IN A HOSPITAL,
AND THEN I WAS ABUSED, AND THEN I WAS REJECTED
IN MY WORKPLACE, AND THEN I WAS REJECTED
BY SOME PEOPLE IN MY CHURCH, AND THEN I DIDN'T GET THAT
OPPORTUNITY--AND I COULD NOW BE 55 DOING--NOT DOING WHAT
GOD'S CALLED ME TO DO, BECAUSE I'M STILL SITTING
HERE BLAMING, ALL OF THOSE REJECTION.
WERE ANY OF THEM, RIGHT?
NO.
COULD ALL OF THEM TAKEN ME OUT?
YES.
BUT WHAT DID MY SAVIOR COME FOR?
I MEAN, THIS IS WHAT I FEEL LIKE THE MESSAGE
TO THIS GENERATION IS, IS THAT WE ARE SO
OVER-IDENTIFYING, WITH SOME THINGS THAT WE GO,
"I CAN RECOGNIZE IT, BUT THERE IS AN ENEMY.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT REALLY WASN'T EVEN
THAT PERSON, THERE IS AN ENEMY THAT WANTS TO STEAL, KILL,
AND DESTROY MY PURPOSE.
JESUS CAME THAT I MIGHT HAVE LIFE,
AND LIFE MORE ABUNDANTLY, AND TO DESTROY THE WORKS
OF THE ENEMY.
SO, I CAN WALK IN VICTORY, DESPITE THE REJECTION THAT
I ENCOUNTER THIS SIDE OF ETERNITY."
AND THAT'S A MESSAGE-- THANK GOD FOR YOU,
'CUZ YOU'RE PREACHING IT.
BUT THAT'S A MESSAGE THAT'S NOT BEING SPOKEN ABOUT A LOT.
IT'S MORE LIKE, "LET ME LIST ALL THE WAYS
I'VE BEEN REJECTED, LET ME BLAME THAT,"
AND THEN IT'S ALMOST LIKE, "I CAN DO NOTHING ABOUT IT."
THAT'S DESTRUCTIVE, I THINK.
GINGER: THAT'S WHY IT REALLY DOES COME DOWN TO,
YOU HAVE TO HAVE THAT FOUNDATION,
YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOMETHING TO TRUST IN,
TO HOLD ONTO THAT IS OUTSIDE OF YOURSELF,
THAT'S OUTSIDE OF PEOPLE.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT REJECTING, REJECTION, RIGHT?
HOW TO NOT LET IT GET THOSE DEEP ROOTS.