I Belong...

The Number One Secret to Belonging

Community, a secure sense of belonging, starts in the family and spreads outward. Sometimes in life, you may feel like you don't belong anywhere: You feel lost in your family, in your church, in your school, in your thoughts, and in your feelings. You don't quite seem to fit into the mold that everyone expects. You are so different that you stick out like a sore thumb. But what if you stand out because of your strong allegiance to Christ?

As a teen, I left the church... I was very discouraged by the "merry-go-round" of the fiasco of church members living a lie and basking in the sea of hypocrisy as if it were a luxurious bath.

Some church members were smiling at and hugging each other while spewing venom about each other; pastors and elders were busy chasing skirt tails while preaching "powerful" sermons, and yet this was not the reason I became a borderline atheist.

I left because the leaders and laity, couldn't seem to make up their minds. Did they believe in the messages they preached, or were they just a formality? To me, what they both professed and did was often at odds with what I read and studied. Was God truly alive? And if He is real, then is He powerful enough to eradicate sin's power in the lives of His people? If He couldn't with them... How could I overcome the sins and things in my life that I didn't like?

If the older people couldn't get it right, to whom could I look for mentorship and guidance?

I felt hopeless. I began to believe that God didn't care about me, that He didn't love me enough. Why leave me in a world in which I do not belong?

But one day I met Jesus myself. It was difficult to see Him in the life of many of the professed believers, but He came in a still small voice to remind me that I was not alone. He told me to look up higher and keep my eyes on Him. The encounter reminded me that:

"The One who made the heavens, made my heart and soul

Before I drew a breath, I was loved and known

I am His creation, the Maker's masterpiece

And all that He designs will be done in me.*

I am no longer an atheist, and I attend church regularly. The problems have not gone away, but I have a brighter outlook... I belong to the Lord. In this reality, I find an anointed refuge and love unspeakable.

Meditatiion song: click link : The Night

Friend, perhaps you have had this experience. You feel out of place for some reason. Maybe you like me have felt as if you do not belong because you believe God's Word and want to obey and live it, but sometimes find it a very lonely road. Remember that if others choose to live a double life... a sketchy Christian life,...forget them! Let your motto be "I belong to the Lord!" Be a Daniel and stand alone. Purpose that "...all that [God] designs will be done in me."

I belong to the Lord, oh, I am not my own

I belong to the Lord, I am not my own

I will honor Him for this I know

I belong to the Lord, I am not my own.*

“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it you.” John 15:16

Prayer:

Lord, I work with many disillusioned young people who are confused for one reason or another. They become hopeless because they feel as if they do not belong. Lord may you show them your glory... Your amazing love as you have shown me. May they see the great purpose for which they were created and may they sing as I pray: "I belong to the Lord, I am not my own." May we, young and older, look beyond our distractions and focus on your lovely face. Help us grow confidence in knowing we belong to You; we are safe in your grace.

*I Am Not My Own - by Getty Music and Skye Peterson