If we are honest; sadly, at some point in our life, we have all relationally experienced lyrics of the Sesame Street song, “One of these things is not like the other. One of these things just doesn’t belong.” Just doesn’t belong! We pause momentarily. Mentally recalling memories of that empty, hurtful life moment when we ‘did not belong.’ That moment we felt abandoned, unloved, unwanted, left out, forgotten and looked over.
I will never forget one such life moment. Our family had just moved. We were ‘in transition.’ Everything unfamiliar. New job. New town. New people. Me, lost-alone. I signed up for summer camp. Went, begrudgingly. No friends from my old or new town in attendance. None. Not a one. What happened? You guessed it. Homesickness. Oh yeah. Big time. I wanted out of there. Mentally. Emotionally. Physically. All alone. I didn’t belong. Nope. Sure didn’t. Recall that similar life moment ourself? I’m sure we do. I do.
We all long to belong. We all desire to be accepted, valued, loved and to truly belong. It’s called belongingness. The inherent human need to be an accepted member of a group. In fact, we will do almost anything to belong. At times, what we know we should not do, just to belong, to fit it, to be accepted…even by the wrong crowd. But hey, at least we belong.
As I read the Bible, Jesus encounters such people, just like us. The Samaritan Woman. Prodigal Son. A tax-collector named, Zaccheus – to name a few. But what is amazing, when they meet Jesus – they experience ‘belongingness’ on a deeper level with Him. Suddenly they are wanted, noticed, accepted, valued, loved and belong. That is what our God does. They personally experience the truth of 1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” We belong to God! Wow! Now that’s life-changing. I belong to God. Say it out loud right now. “I belong to God!” I so hope we experience this truth. Because we truly do. We are not alone. We belong. We truly belong!
God bless friends. See you this Sunday at 9:30 & 11:15 a.m. as we unpack the powerful truth of ‘Belonging TO God’.
I Belong TO God. So thankful!
– Pastor Doug
