Have you seen all of those ‘welcome home’ signs on porches lately? Maybe you have one. What do you think of when you see one? Okay, let’s back up a few years and answer that question when it was rare to find them around the neighborhood. How about when you step up to the door in which one of those signs are present? Well, I can only assume that the owner placed it there to make those viewing it feel a sense of belonging or warmth.
Isn’t that what all of us want in life? Of course, we like the fame, the money, and the power that goes along with success, but isn’t it really the recognition that we long for most of all? I was one of those high-strung kids that would do anything to get the attention of my parents. It wasn’t because they didn’t offer it that I sought it. It had more to do with my personality. New dance routines, new songs, new tricks, new … Literally, any action that would get them to praise me. I didn’t just want to belong, I wanted to be front and center.
There are many who would diagnose those actions and who knows they might even be right, but the goal of this blog is not the reasoning so much as the belonging. It is Creations nature to belong. When we are lacking this, things are thrown off kilter. If you experience life without the confidence of belonging, then you know exactly what I am talking about. Of course, I cannot speak for everyone, but I venture to say that most of us do belong whether we know it or not.
So, what if you don’t recognize your belonging? Or what if you feel lonely, isolated? There are some things that you can do immediately. Hear this and accept it: I am praying for you even this minute! You read those words too quickly. The point is that you accept it. This is not some random passing thought. I am seeking out goodness and grace for your life. I am asking for you to be filled with those gifts that God has granted solely to you in such a way that the world will be blessed. I am asking for peace and joy to flood your moments, your memories, your relationships. I am asking for God to know your name and your needs as I might not ever be blessed to do.
The first thing is to believe those words and receive them. The second thing is to stop trying to prove to yourself that you aren’t important or that you don’t belong. You are part of what the world needs today so that there might be order. You belong because no one else in the world can be you and so you are needed. When you constantly feed yourself negativity it’s almost impossible to miss not just the plus side of things, but the truth. God has never wasted his time on us. When the world was created, he separated the world’s light sources; the moon, the sun, the stars in such a way that all systems would work. If God took time to ensure plants would have the vitamins as well as the other benefits the sun would provide for life, then do not dismiss the fact that when he created you, he took the time to bend down and breathe life into your lungs. (Gen. 1-2)
The final action you can take today, is trust. The items on this list are not easy if you truly make the effort. But I will grant you that the last one is the hardest. When I journeyed through divorce, the near loss of my home, a breast biopsy I did not stand in praise of God. I hurt. My heart ached and I was scared. I felt alone. Just like that sign ascribes warmth to you when you feel a sense of belonging, I don’t dismiss that you feel real, life-sucking pain just because you might have God in your life. In the midst of difficult places, it can be just as hard to trust. So, practice it. Seriously! When I am in my darkest moments I sing, “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.” There are several reasons this has power for me. First, it reminds me to turn my focus off of the bad and onto Jesus. Second, it is short and easy to remember the words. Finally, it can be said like a breath prayer (in one breath). Find your breath prayer and carry it with you on paper until it becomes so absorbed into who you are that you are never without its power. It is in the moments that you use it regularly that you will discover quite by accident that you really do trust.
Need more helps? Need a speaker for an event? Need coaching? Send me an email at contact@monicaswank.org.
-blessings my friends
Monica Swank 