Maybe the days have begun to blur together with fear and grief and a little bit of despair mixed in. Life has changed over the past few months.What about the sense of belonging that we’ve been cultivating in our lives over months or years or decades? The people, the roles, the places that have come to define us and give us the sense of belonging that we all crave in our bones, that has all been set aside for now.
Our people. I know I can picture the faces of mine. And I can picture who I am when I’m with them– who I am when I’m doing what I love and the gift of being connected to the stories of the faces around me. The identity that’s been woven from the fabric of our relationships, our jobs, our roles in this world and the sense of belonging it all brings–the loss can rattle you to your core.
That sense of belonging– it’s always hard won, isn’t it? A little too fragile for our liking, and maybe you’ve felt the loss of it with more than a little desperate fear. There’s nothing like loss to bring up the “Who am I?” question, especially for those of us who struggle and oh, haven’t I felt it hard lately.
Aren’t we all just wondering if we’re really good enough? Is who I am enough, without all the doing and the being and the going?
But “Who am I?” isn’t really the right question, is it? Because the right question is only and always “Whose am I?”
When our sense of belonging is lost we have to remember to whom we belong–the One who always finds us.
“My own sheep will hear my voice and I know each one, and they will follow me. I give to them the gift of eternal life and they will never be lost and no one has the power to snatch them out of my hands.” (John 10:27-28).
Today you may be feeling lost and alone. You may be wondering who you’ll be when the dust settles and what will it all even look like? Is there still even room for me? Jesus knows. He knows you, he hears your voice and he cradles the very essence of you right in his scarred hands. And not one single thing has the power to snatch us out. You belong to the One who gave up every single thing He had to bind you to Him– and He calls you beloved.
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So beautiful and true – remembering whose we are! To keep bringing ourselves back to that. Thank you for the reminder!
Amanda, your post creates a sensitivity to the need of belonging. Well done!
What is written here in Belonging made me tear up, and empowered all in one read. The world can bring us down at any given time but God is always our constant. Thank you for the reminder Amanda.
Thank you ! A good reminder for me and for many others, I am sure. <3