loving and belonging

lately, i've been thinking a lot about loving people well. i know that we all want to be loved. we are pre-programmed to need, strive for and give love. and thankfully, we are adored by a God above, we are loved so well by him. and we are called in this life to love others-- whether that is easy or not. i'm not always good at this. and recently i have been reminded of how hard it is to love people who have hurt you.
people who you trusted and people who have sinned against you. this can cut deep, i think everyone has or will experience this.

i was feeling a little off this weekend at some points. just kind of tired and hard on myself. my friend heather gave me a book to read and although i only read a few pages it ready got me thinking. in the chapter i read it talked about fitting in v. belonging. i think that this plays a big part in how we love ourselves and how we accept love from above and from others.

this weekend i was at a young life student staff conference which was really great for a lot of reasons and hard at the same time. i love young life and i love the part in my story that young life has played. but a post on this to come! anyway, this weekend is that it left me with a lot of thoughts. thoughts about how to lead others as a follower of christ, thoughts about how i need to evaluate how i follow jesus is some ways how i do ministry and what that looks like in the lives of high schoolers. i have become aware of my selfishness in loving others and my intense need to be loved and how i am sometimes reluctant and refuse to believe i am good enough to believe that i am really love-- wrong wrong wrong. this is just a lie!

we strive as humans to fit in, to become something we are not to fit in. but belong involves a peace with who we truly we are. we do not need to change or become anything. belonging does require us to be who we are. <-- this is what heather's book was talking about.

so true. as a person we are made my a perfect god. we are born belonging. we do not need to adapt to become someone who can be loved. in my wretched and broken state. in my talk-too-loud-say-too-much state i am loved. in my self-doubt and selfishness i am forgiven and loved.

whatever it is that you feel you need to change to be loved, whatever you think you need to be. you don't. you are loved now. both today and always with an everlasting and overflowing love.


the lord appeared to us in the past, saying: "i have loved with an everlasting love; i have drawn you with lovingkindness." -- Jeremiah 31:3