Longing to Belong

     "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 the darkness and into his wonderful light."  1 Peter 2:9

   As human beings we all have a desire within us to be known, accepted, understood and loved. We all deeply long to belong. It doesn't matter who you are, where you live, what you do or what season of life you are in; we all desire to be found, chosen, esteemed and safely kept.
       
        My sweet little Lily has been feeling a little displaced lately. I get the sense she is trying to figure out where she fits in this crazy family of ours. For four years she enjoyed being the baby of the family. She knew exactly what her role was and absolutely loved it! When Sunday was born I saw Lily struggle; she clearly adored her baby sister with an immense and intense kind of love, but resented the fact that she was no longer the baby in the family. Lately, my sweet Lily girl has been very expressive about her little sister. Lily and I were laying out in the sunny backyard together, she gently put her hand on my arm and leaned in close to my face. She had a quirky smile on her lips and her eyes were all lit up in her joyfully teasing kind of way.  I leaned into her with anticipation and her raspy little voice asked me, "Mom, did you think I was going to be your last kid?" I paused for a moment and said "Well... yes, I guess I did." Lily jumped up, put her hand on her hip, cocked her head to the side and shot back, "Too bad your dream is OVER!!! You have Sunday now." She burst into laughter and pranced off the deck. This was just one of many recent comments. Over and over again I have chased her down, wrapped my arms around her and spoken truth into her life. I have reassured her of my deep love for her again and again and I will continue to do so forever. I belong to her and she belongs to me. And whether she likes it or not right now, Sunday belongs to us too!

            She belongs. Nothing will ever change that. There is nothing that Lily could ever do or say that would change the fact that she is my daughter; loved, precious, valued beyond words and made perfectly by God Almighty to be an irreplaceable part of our family. She may not always feel it, but that doesn't change the truth. Our love and acceptance of her, just the way God made her, is constant and unwavering. She is loved, adored and accepted. She belongs.

            I know how unsettling it can be to not know exactly where you fit. I have always longed to belong, to be known, to have a place where I am accepted and loved for who I am. I have spent most of my life seeking the approval of others. To the very core of my being I am a people pleaser. Pair that with immense insecurity and it's a recipe for brokenness, loneliness and unrealistic expectations. I still need to be reminded time and again that I belong to God. Everything that my heart and soul long for are met in His unchanging, unwavering and unconditional love. That is enough. We need to believe that is enough.

            I often look to others in search of my worth. I will never belong anywhere like I belong with Jesus. He has saved me, chased after me and wrapped His arms around me time and time again. He continually speaks truth to my wandering, doubting, weary, sinful and straying heart...

Rachel,
      I know you, everything about you. I know all your quirks, insecurities, flaws, failures and sins and I love you. You belong to me.

       I have chosen you.

       I love to lavish grace on you.

       I will always rescue you and free you from the chains of guilt, shame, sin and condemnation that you put on over and over again. Nothing you could ever do will separate you from my love.You belong to me.

        I am the God who sees. I see you.

        I am the God who hears. I hear you.

        I am safe. I am faithful. I will never give up on you. I will never let go of you.

        I died on the cross for you. That's how valuable you are to me. You are precious, loved and full of worth. I am all your heart longs for. Come and be found in me, it's where you belong. I am yours. You are mine.



         Everyone deeply longs to belong, but our hearts will never stop searching, never rest, never feel at home.... until we find our worth in Jesus. And when you find Him you will know, He is enough.

 "I belong to my beloved and his desire is for me." Song of Solomon 7:10