Week 1: Introduction — The Ache of Being Uninvited

1.Lysa opens with a scene of sitting at a table where she feels out of place and aware that others seem more put-together, more invited into life than she feels. When did you last feel that specific ache — the sense of being on the outside looking in?

2.She describes rejection as something that can "pick-pocket our purpose, cripple our courage, and dismantle our dreams." Which of those three consequences resonates most with you, and why?

3.Lysa is honest that her rejection wounds go all the way back to her father's abandonment in childhood. How do you think early experiences of rejection shape the way we interpret everyday moments of being left out or overlooked as adults?

4.The book's central promise is that even when we are overlooked by others, we are handpicked by God. Does that truth feel comforting or frustratingly abstract to you right now? Be honest.

5.Lysa identifies two core fears that feed insecurity around rejection. Even before reading the full book, what do you suspect your two deepest fears related to rejection might be?

6.She frames this book as being about a love that can never be "diminished, tarnished, shaken, or taken." How does that description of love differ from what you have experienced in most human relationships?

7.What do you hope to gain — or heal — by working through this book? Write it down as specifically as possible, and if you are in a group, share it with one another as a way of holding each other accountable.