You Belong

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God…”

1 Peter 2:9 

Part of being human means we are relational beings. Some of the greatest joys of life are associated with family, friendship, or falling in love. On the flip side, some of the deepest wounds and emotional pain we experience are connected to those very same people. 

Perhaps you were loved, but you are no longer in that relationship. Maybe you lost someone you cared for deeply. Whatever the circumstance, some of our happiest moments or deepest hurts happen as a result of being human. We are meant for relationship.

One of the deepest of all human longings is the longing to belong. We want to feel that we belong to someone. When we have lost that connection with someone, or we grow up without it, we often feel deep sorrow within our soul. Where does this deep need for belonging come from? 

The Bible teaches that we were created by God. When you or I create something, it belongs to us. So it is with God. He created us, therefore we belong to Him (1 Peter 2:9).  

The problem is that most of us grow up in life without deep understanding of this truth, so we search high and low looking for someone or somewhere to belong. But, all along we DO belong to someone; God. Many of us search down wrong paths looking for belonging. We end up in one pit after the next only to come up empty. 

May we begin today to understand that we no longer have to search for belonging in this world because we belong to another. This world is not our home; our citizenship is in Heaven. Hebrews 13:14 says, This is not our home; we are looking forward to our city in heaven, which is yet to come. What a wonderful promise to know that we will eventually be home with the One to whom we belong; our Father in Heaven.

Thank you, Father, that we belong to You, and You made us to be in relationship with You.

Carrie Wright