The Bible beautifully weaves together various images and metaphors to illuminate the identity of God’s people. Whether portrayed as a body, a marriage, or a building, these vivid depictions help us grasp who we are. Among these images, one especially stands out in current cultural landscape: Family.
“I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty” (2 Cor. 6:18).
“Stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother’” (Matt. 12:49-50).
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (Eph. 2:19).
When a family thrives there is a sense of safety and belonging. Unfortunately, not all have experienced safety and belonging within their families of origin. Even worse, some have yet to experience that feeling of belonging within the family of God. It is God’s desire for us—be it through church interactions, missions, or collaboration with fellow Christians in ministry—to feel that we belong, because ultimately we belong to Him.
In the ministry I work for, Young Life, we say we’re committed to the concept of “belonging” but sometimes it can be hard to know how to move towards a greater sense of feeling like we truly belong and making others—staff, volunteers, and kids—feel like they really belong. I’m sure that the ministry you may be a part of would say the same thing! In light of that I’m offering this monthly Belonging Resource. We’ll cover things like Cultural Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence, Diversity, Equity, and a host of other topics that can help us move towards a deeper sense of belonging.
This month I’m recommending a podcast episode. It’s not very long but I think it’s worth the time! In it you’ll be introduced to CQ—something I’m well aware that you might already be familiar with—and you’ll be posed with a question that might be useful for sparking some interesting conversation.
In this podcast episode you’ll hear a question posed about the courage to be your authentic self. This is ultimately a question about belonging.
“How much courage is required for me to be my authentic self on this team?”
You might want to process that question with the teams you lead and the teams you are a part of. You might even want to reflect on how the kids you lead answer that question for your ministry. Remember, though, this is a question that demands vulnerability and safety to answer honestly. But if you set that tone when you ask it, I bet you’ll get some thought-provoking answers that will help you move towards a space where people won’t feel the need to feel courage to be who they really are. And that will lead to a greater sense of belonging.
CWoznicki Think Out Loud 