The Beauty of Belonging
Have you ever felt like an outcast? Of course you have. We have all felt outsider-like twinges from time to time. I know I have! No one is exempt from these humbling and bewildering emotions. People have the power to draw a social circle—invisible, yet real—and simply not allow us inside that space.
These brush-offs can come in many forms, like not being welcomed into a new group or being ignored at a party. The guests might appear to gaze at us, but sometimes they are caught looking over us to see who else within the crowd might have more clout or better conversation skills. Or maybe we haven’t been recognized for a job well done, and we feel left out of the cheers and kudos. Or we are made to feel that we are never quite in step with those around us, or even worse, someone attacks our character or withholds their forgiveness.
The sting can arrive in a hundred ways, but no matter where it comes from, we are left with a residue of loneliness and hopelessness. Oh, how we have a longing to feel a sense of belonging and know the emotional warmth of acceptance and love. We are created with the need for approval and fellowship.
In the Bible, Ruth is a perfect example of a woman who was outside the circle when she arrived in the Israelite town of Bethlehem. Ruth was from Moab, a foreign and pagan land. Within one of the Old Testament’s most tender and recognizable speeches, we discover that Ruth wanted to go wherever Naomi went, she wanted to live among Naomi’s people, and she wanted to worship Naomi’s God. The Lord came through for Ruth in a bigger way than she could have ever imagined. God showed her love and belonging in the form of friendship with her mother-in-law, in the devotion of the godly man Boaz, and in the praise of the local townspeople who grew to think very highly of her. God gave her a child and even placed Ruth into the lineage of Jesus Christ. Now that is a glorious welcome, indeed!
And what a memorable ending to the story as we see it unfold in God’s Word:
So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.” (Ruth 4:13-15 NIV)
Now that’s a happily ever after!
Today, one of the kindest words we can offer to our fellow sojourners in this lonely world is, “Welcome.” It’s lovely when we redraw the circle to include others. To receive them. To care about them. To know them. God welcomed Ruth, and he welcomes each of us, as we are reminded in Matthew 7:7-8: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened” (ESV).
Through Christ’s work on the cross, God offers each of us the beauty of belonging, not just for now but for all time. It is his gift to us for the asking. Nothing could fulfill that need of belonging more beautifully.
“And you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.” (1 Cor. 3:23 AMP)
“And if you belong to Christ [if you are in Him], then you are Abraham’s descendants, and [spiritual] heirs according to [God’s] promise.” (Gal. 3:29 AMP)
“I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.” (John 17:9 NIV)
A Prayer for When You Feel You Don’t Belong
Almighty God, sometimes I have felt left out, ignored, and even abandoned by people. And some of those folks who have hurt me have called themselves your followers. I am not always sure why people make us feel unseen and unheard, but I forgive them just as you have graciously forgiven me for all my failings. Please help me not to make others feel like they are all alone. May I show kindness and love and a welcoming spirit to all those who cross my path. Thank you for your forgiveness and your salvation, for inviting me with open arms into your life and love and your kingdom. I am grateful to be yours! In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.
—an award-winning and bestselling author from Texas—has authored or coauthored fifty-plus books, and she has a BA in the combined fields of speech communication, psychology, and art. A few of Anita’s favorite things are fairytale castles, antiquing, exotic teas, gardening, and laughing with her family and friends! Her latest book, A Love Most Precious, is a collection of devotions inspired from the book of Ruth in the Bible. Please drop by Anita’s website at anitahigman.com. She would love to hear from you!
Photograph © Sixteen Miles Out, used with permission
