{"id":1292,"date":"2016-05-20T16:00:12","date_gmt":"2016-05-20T21:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/?p=1292"},"modified":"2019-05-17T13:26:06","modified_gmt":"2019-05-17T18:26:06","slug":"belonging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2016\/05\/20\/belonging\/","title":{"rendered":"Belonging"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"belonging-1\"<\/a>Belonging<\/h2>\n

by Lydia Floren<\/p>\n

A few years ago–well, maybe more than a few–“Cheers” was a popular TV show, and launched some major acting careers. (Woody Harrelson, Ted Danson, Kirsti Allen). The show revolved around a group of people who became friends by hanging out at a bar together.<\/p>\n

The theme song of Cheers goes like this:<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes you want to go Where everybody knows your name, \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 And they’re always glad you came; \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0You want to be where you can see, Our troubles are all the same; \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0You want to be where everybody knows your name.\u201d<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t we all want a place where \u201ceverybody knows our name, and they\u2019re always glad you came?” \u00a0Sure we do. We want to feel welcome, a part of things. We want to have that intimate group that knows and loves us, and is always glad to see us.<\/p>\n

A sense of belonging is not just something we want–it\u2019s something we need. God made us relational creatures: we are all hardwired with the drive to belong.<\/p>\n

But there are times in life when we don\u2019t feel like we belong. We may have just moved to a new town, and haven\u2019t yet made friends. We may feel a little wobbly in a new job, or are finding our way in a new community. We may be isolated by illness, or language, or culture. We may feel \u201cunsafe\u201d or misunderstood.<\/p>\n

But no matter how we feel, we can be certain of this: if God has put us somewhere, that is where we belong. And whatever situation we face, God will provide for all of our needs, including our need to feel a part of things.<\/p>\n

Sure, there are times when no human arms welcome us, no voices call out our name in joyful greeting. But God provides in His own unique way. He sends a beautiful sunrise, or a birdsong, a dog\u2019s wagging tail. He refreshes us with a warm breeze, a new insight, a fond memory. He encourages us with a message from an old friend or an invitation from someone new. And most of all, He welcomes us with His tender spirit, constantly calling out our name in love.<\/p>\n

Because we know we belong to Him, and belong where He has placed us, we can step into each day confident that our loving Father is with us – within us – providing for our needs before we even ask Him.<\/p>\n

And we can be certain that, when it comes time to step into our forever home, the one He is preparing for us right now, a crowd of folks will be waiting for us.<\/p>\n

And everyone – everyone – will know our name.<\/p>\n

I have called you by name; you are Mine!<\/em> <\/a>Isaiah 43:1<\/p>\n

Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.<\/em><\/a> Matt. 6:8<\/p>\n

What unique ways has God met your need for belonging?<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Belonging by Lydia Floren A few years ago–well, maybe more than a few–“Cheers” was a popular TV show, and launched some major acting careers. (Woody Harrelson, Ted Danson, Kirsti Allen). The show revolved around a group of people who became friends by hanging out at a bar together. The theme song of Cheers goes like […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[78,464,44],"tags":[74,8],"class_list":["post-1292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-belonging-2","category-finding-yourself","category-identity-value","tag-belonging-to-god","tag-hope-and-encouragement"],"yoast_head":"\nBelonging - Belovedlove<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2016\/05\/20\/belonging\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Belonging - Belovedlove\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Belonging by Lydia Floren A few years ago–well, maybe more than a few–“Cheers” was a popular TV show, and launched some major acting careers. 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