{"id":2200,"date":"2018-06-23T07:00:39","date_gmt":"2018-06-23T13:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.peacelcmc.org\/?p=2200"},"modified":"2018-09-20T13:40:58","modified_gmt":"2018-09-20T19:40:58","slug":"belonging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.peacelcmc.org\/?p=2200","title":{"rendered":"Belonging"},"content":{"rendered":"

Belonging\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0Lord\u00a0who made you and helps you says: \u201cDo not be afraid, my chosen one.\u201d\u00a0Isaiah 44:2.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Isaiah 44:1\u20135; Esther 9\u201310; Acts 7:1\u201321<\/p>\n

I had been out late the night before, just as I was every Saturday night. Just twenty years old, I was running from God as fast as I could. But suddenly, strangely, I felt compelled to attend the church my dad pastored. I put on my faded jeans, well-worn T-shirt, and unlaced high-tops and drove across town.<\/p>\n

I do not recall the sermon Dad preached that day, but I can not forget how delighted he was to see me. With his arm over my shoulder, he introduced me to everyone he saw. \u201cThis is my son!\u201d he proudly declared. His joy became a picture of God\u2019s love that has stuck with me all these decades.<\/p>\n

\"You<\/a>
You Belong Here<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The imagery of God as loving Father occurs throughout the Bible. In Isaiah 44, the prophet interrupts a series of warnings to proclaim God\u2019s message of family love. \u201cDear Israel, my chosen one,\u201d he said. \u201cI will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children\u201d (vv. 2\u20133\u00a0nlt). Isaiah noted how the response of those descendants would demonstrate family pride. \u201cSome will proudly claim, \u2018I belong to the\u00a0Lord,\u2019\u201d he wrote. \u201cSome will write the Lord\u2019s name on their hands\u201d (v. 5\u00a0nlt).<\/p>\n

Wayward Israel belonged to God, just as I belonged to my adoptive father. Nothing I could do would ever make him lose his love for me. He gave me a glimpse of our heavenly Father\u2019s love for us. – Tim Gustafson. Daily Bread.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Heavenly Father, we all come from families that are broken in one way or another. Thank You for loving us in that brokenness and for showing us what real love looks like.<\/p>\n

God\u2019s love for us offers us the sense of belonging and identity we all crave.<\/p>\n

We Belong\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

David Lowen\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pat Benatar\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n