Being Brave if the Answer is No: Trusting God in the Face of Rejection
By Alexandra Hoover
God's Brave Women - Alexandra's Story
I don’t think you’re equipped enough for the role.
We’ve decided to give it to someone else.
We’re going another direction.
Maybe you’ve heard some version of these statements before. And if you’re anything like me, it’s not really the wording that leaves a lasting impression or the specific job or role you wanted. What lingers is the emotional blow that comes with a loud and clear NO.
"It’s not really the wording that leaves a lasting impression or the specific job or role you wanted. What lingers is the emotional blow that comes with a loud and clear NO."
I had worked in small-group ministry for years, first as a ministry assistant and then as a ministry coordinator. After some difficult transitions that left roles open and our group leaders rattled, it made sense that they were looking for consistency and shepherding. They wanted a leader they knew and trusted. And I just knew the person they needed was me. Not because I was somebody special but because they knew me. They trusted me. More than that, I knew them and loved them and really desired to take care of them during a tough time.
In my heart I just knew my time had finally come to step into the position God had called me to do. With a knot in my stomach and shaking knees, I knew I had to have the conversation. I needed to admit to both myself and my (then) leader that this was the direction and position I believed God was leading me to do.
I’d spent years faithfully serving, years of showing up early and leaving late. Years giving of myself, not just in fun spaces but in spaces where my worth and value were unseen, or even undermined at times. It had to be time. Right?
My mother-in-law has told me this for years: “It may not be on my time, but God is always on time.”
I would always roll my eyes when I heard that. But now, in this season of ministry, with this job I knew was supposed to pan out, it was true. Although God may not work on our time, He is never late.
"Although God may not work on our time, He is never late."
See, this job I thought I was clearly the right fit for—well, it wasn’t my time for it. Or, as my mom-in-law would say, it wasn’t on my time.
“We’ve chosen to go in a different direction, someone with a different skill set.”
The words brought back a world of familiar pain—rejection. Not just a closed door but one locked with dead bolts. One I so desperately wanted to pull open with my own bare hands.
How could the answer be rejection? How could the answer just be no? I was so sure this was God’s call. I knew it was a God dream. But I guess it was someone else’s, too.
And you know what? This wasn’t the only no I would encounter. There would be many around the bend. In fact, God has gifted me more no’s than I can count over the last fourteen years of my life, and I’m sure there are more to come. No’s to prayers, no’s to dreams that were (in my mind) supposed to be Ebenezer stones He showed up for and marked in my story.
I couldn’t see it at the time, but through the journey of no after no, I learned something invaluable. What the world knows as rejection, Christians know as something else – a Holy redirection.
When we’re left with no’s and not yet’s we can always fall back on this simple yet powerful truth – God is good, and working it out for our good and His glory. (Romans 8:28)
"What the world knows as rejection, Christians know as something else – a Holy redirection. When we’re left with no’s and not yet’s we can always fall back on this simple yet powerful truth – God is good, and working it out for our good and His glory."
Every single rejection and no is a holy redirection in God’s hands and heart. When we’re with Him, we can rest assured that our present and future are safe in His hands. We find our bravery to keep going when we begin to trust His heart, even when we may not be able to see His hand.
"We find our bravery to keep going when we begin to trust His heart, even when we may not be able to see His hand."
Trust God with the twists, turns, and process.
Brave Woman Manifesto
Make sure to check back next week as another courageous Sister shares her story.
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About Alexandra
Alexandra Hoover is a wife, mother of three, daughter, sought-out speaker, Bible teacher, and Author of "Eyes Up" How To Trust God's Heart by Tracing His Hand. She's passionate about communicating the gospel's beauty and hope, whether through writing or speaking, online or in person. Her words spur people on to hope, healing, and their mission. She has the privilege of serving on staff at Transformation Church and spends her days loving on her family, dancing with her kids, and living on mission right where God has her.
Connect with her at alexandravhoover.com or on social media @alexandravhoover.