Blessed to be Broken

A couple years ago, a friend and I stopped talking. I’m not sure exactly what happened, but I know I just couldn’t receive what had been said.

I was burnt out on a level, I didn’t even know burnt out could reach. I quit my job. I quit parts of life. And quite frankly, I just didn’t even know where I belonged.

As humans, a feeling of belonging starts at an early age. I’m not exactly sure when, but I know there’s been studies based on babies being abandoned, and how statistically they’ve turned out. 

In an effort to be a part of something we all try to find our niche. We find hobbies and or teams that seem to fit where we’re at in life. For a person who doesn’t easily fit in, belonging seems unattainable.

When you don’t feel like you belong for whatever reason, I dare say it makes you feel less than, unworthy, and a few crayons short of a full box.

What if I told you, that belonging to any particular group of people, will always leave you wanting? All people are just doing the best they can in an environment that’s not our permanent home. 

Families fall apart. Friendships fall apart. Neighborhoods fall apart. The things we collect fall apart. And, absolutely nothing on this earth, stays the same.

If I asked you, where you thought you belonged, what would you say? There’s definitely not a shortage of groups where one can find a place. Going to any type of school is a perfect example of group belonging.

But, even in a group, you can fall short of someone else’s expectations of who you ought to be, and what you ought to be doing according to their measuring stick.

Belonging in this extraordinarily flawed place called earth, to one group, is typically temporary, and like everything else, falls apart.

As a Christian, I’ve witnessed believers/followers of Christ, try to make others feel like they belong while trying to garner followers of Christ leaving their known Christian brothers and sisters behind.

When Christians misplace their belonging in the hands of other Christians and something goes awry, we easily forget Christians are flawed people too.

Christians don’t belong to other Christians therein lies the problem. Christians belong to Christ. They’ve been adopted into His family.

His family as written in His word, is filled with flawed humans. His own family genealogy is definitely less than ideal.

No doubt, that’s in no way a mistake. How else do we relate to a perfect Jesus unless He too is part of an imperfect ancestry?  

We’re not told to look at other Christians as the perfect example of how to live life. We’re not told to keep our eyes on other Christians. We’re not told to look up to other Christians. We’re not even told to follow other Christians. 

The word of God says we’re to look to Christ for all things. He is the way. He is the truth. He is the life. Yet, in that effort to belong, we put on a happy face and posture our outer being to the world as good while forgetting to tend to the place where Christ transforms us. Our heart. 

OK, so where am I going with all this? I don’t even know. I guess what I’m trying to say is when a person doesn’t feel like they belong anywhere they typically become desperate to find a place to fit in. And sometimes that place will rob you of who you are. Been there, done that!

Can we talk for a second about the American dream? You know the one. The one where you have the perfect family, in the perfect house, who sends the kids off to the perfect college, and then the cycle continues?

Did you know, the American dream so many of us have bought into is called a dream, for a reason? The American dream is very tidy, yet so very unstable. It rises and falls with the days economics. The measuring stick is constantly changing.

Yet, we run around, fruitlessly beating our heads against an impenetrable wall, trying to attain things that don’t last, calling it success. 

However, any natural disaster, will prove just how quickly, those kingdoms, that success we’ve built can come tumbling down.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t do as God instructed, be fruitful, multiply, and go out into the world. I’m just saying, we need to be careful with what humans dictate to be the standard of living.

The problem with the American dream and its ever changing achievable standards, is it’s a one-size-fits-all dream. However, we were not created as a one-size-fits-all people. Not for our lack of striving to be a form fitting clone. 

Rather than stand out, we’d rather blend in. It’s easier to hide among the masses than it is to take a stand. Need an example? Just take a good look at sub-divisions and the houses built within. 

Not only do we need to look alike to feel like we belong, we need our neighborhoods to follow suit. 

Alright, let’s wrap this up. It takes great courage to think outside the box and step out of our comfort zone. It takes setting people pleasing aside to do the will of God. It means doing the right scary thing even though we don’t know what the outcome will be. 

Question is, are you willing to be the you God created and not the you the world would have you be? Having lived for the world for the majority of my life, it’s no wonder I got burned out to the point I lost sight of “me”. 

Make no mistake, I may have lost sight of me, but God never did. He knew exactly where I was, where I am, and where I’m going. I can rest and trust in Him, because unlike the world and its ever changing standards, God remains the same. That’s a deposit you can count on. 

And abiding in Him, is where I’ve always belonged. I never had to seek to belong, I only had to rest in the fact, I already belonged. 

Have an amazing day my friends! It’s a good day to belong!