Where do you want to belong? Where do you draw your identity from? Which of these identities will ultimately sustain you and nourish you?
I believe that our basic human existence has to do with our “being with”. For who we associate with will ultimately determine who we are. Hence, we must choose our fundamental belonging carefully. To whom do you belong?
We must first and foremost discover that we belong to God. He is our Creator and our Redeemer, who forgives and saves us from our sinfulness and duplicities. Our relationship with God is the most important and defining relationship that affects all our other relationships.
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity, that God is one with three persons within the Godhead is one that introduces us to the most perfect and greatest community. There is true unity and diversity within the Trinity.
And we are invited to share in the life of this divine community, to belong to this three-personed God. This is described in the Bible as becoming the children of God (see John 1:12). When we accept this invitation and belong to this God, then we have a permanent identity that stands the tides of time and history.
Belonging to human institutions and tribes may be meaningful for the moment, but as all institutions decay, our identities attached to them too fade away with time. For an eternal identity, one must find more secure moorings.
The apostle Paul wrote poignantly of the ultimate belonging: “I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us” (Romans 8:37-39, The Message).
Belonging to the Community
When we belong to our eternal God, we also belong to His family. The Bible describes this family in various ways, the most well-known being that we are members of the body of Christ. We belong to one another as we find our identity in Christ. The Bible also repeatedly describes God making a covenant relationship of love with His people. As members of this community, we have rich treasures.
We have first of all the Bible. Then we also have the beliefs, values, narratives, and liturgies of this community that shape us and form the foundation of our lives. These things (the Bible, the church, our creeds, worship, and stories) help us to understand who (and whose) we are.
What we believe about God, ourselves, and members of our community will not only shape us, but also maintains our identity. When we become alienated to these sources of our identity, we might be tempted to seek false alternatives.
To run the race of life and complete the journey effectively, you need to belong to the community of God’s family. Without this, you cannot really run the race well.
Like a relay race or a team game, you do not run alone or play a game alone. Even in solitary sports, and there are really very few of such examples, one is a member of a larger team. No one takes part independent of a team. That is the nature of things. Likewise, in the spiritual realm, we are members of a team. You must find your team for you cannot ultimately run alone.
Christian fellowship and community are essential for the Christian life. We are made for community, and in the race of life, we will find this community if we listen with our hearts to the divine voice speaking to us. It will change forever the nature of our journey and its final outcome.
Reflect:
What is the most important community to which you belong? In other words, if you have only one community to belong to, which would it be and why? What are your commitments to this community and how well are you fulfilling them?
Excerpted and adapted from “The Race: How to Live and Finish Well” by Robert M. Solomon, published by Our Daily Bread Ministries
Read Also:
The Race: How to Live and Finish Well
Discover biblical wisdom for those who are confused, exhausted, or dissatisfied with life, and those seeking a better way to live. The Race will help you evaluate your life so as to live well—and finish well.
Our Daily Bread Ministries in Indonesia is supported by the freewill offering of individuals in Indonesia, who through their gifts enable us to continue to bring the life-changing wisdom of the Bible to many here. We are not funded by any church or organisation.
