The Lord will not abandon His people, because of His great name and because He has determined to make you His own people.
1 Samuel 12:22
The Lie We Believe: I don’t belong
The Truth: God is determined to include you
Oh friend. If this is one you struggle with, you’re not alone. Even when it has looked to the outside world that I’ve been 100% included in all the cool stuff, I haven’t felt like I belonged. I questioned if I was included out of obligation or if it was because I was truly wanted. So I proceeded with caution, never wanting to go all-in with my commitment to the community because I felt like I needed to protect my heart – just in case my fears were true.
I’d been on the outside so long, wondering why I was never invited in that I never actually trusted the legitimacy of the invitation when it came. Even now I struggle wondering what’s being said about me when I’m not in the room. Maybe they’re relieved I’m not there.
The lie tells us that we’ll never fit in. We’ll never belong in the places and spaces we feel God is calling us to because someone else is already there. And she is more important, a louder voice, a more popular speaker or writer or podcaster or mama or ALL of the things. We’ll be forever in her shadow so why even bother?
The truth tells us that God has not only chosen us as His people, He will never abandon us. With God we are always invited, always included, and the invitation is always because we are truly wanted. God is determined to include us. Isn’t that a gift? Doesn’t that make the rest of the world’s popularity contest seem incredibly trivial when you realize how deeply you do belong where it matters most? When we can believe this truth down deep in our hearts, our eyes will stop wandering the internet and our churches and our communities to see where everyone else has been invited. We’ll start focusing our attention to the place God has given us. We’ll use our gifts HERE instead of wishing we were THERE. What is there to be jealous of in this world when we have the Creator of the universe determined to include us?
Questions:
- What is something you wish you had been invited to be part of recently?
- How does it change your perspective to realize that God has extended the ultimate invitation to you?
- What is your reaction when you read that God will never abandon you?
