We live in a Society today where people’s greatest need is to just belong. Society dictates a standard that we all strive to achieve. That could be what we think the perfect father/mother is or should be, to achieve financial security, to having the white picket fence and house, the largest truck, coolest car, nicest clothes, social status and the list goes on. The longer the list, the more stress and pressure it imposes on us to strive to be that person. But we can try to achieve all that society imposes on us but we will always fall short of what we think we should be.
The need to have that material gain, social status and that perfect life is a recipe for disaster. What happens when all of ‘that’ comes falling down around us. Our white picket fence falls down, our neighbor gets a nicer car then ours, or worse, we come home one day and our spouse wants a divorce. It can get worse; what do you do when your child/children or yourself get sick , you loose your house through bankruptcy and the beautiful clothes you bought become too small; your physical appearance is shot. Living in our world it’s inevitable that we will have trouble, things won’t always go as planned. No one has that perfect life that society and social media try so desperately to portray.
Let’s be real; life is not perfect! What happens when death knocks on our door? And it will, that we can be sure of. Are we ready to face the most devastating and cruelest part of life; that being death. I think sometimes we need to take our heads out of the sand and be real, let’s be realistic; our bubble is going to burst sooner or later.
What do we do then? When the bottom falls out of our make-believe world. Will we be able to stand on our own two feet? How will we cope? I believe we have to build our lives on a solid foundation and when the winds blow, the storm comes, the waves crashes up against us, the fire consumes us to ashes; then we are ready to face anything that life throws at us. But I believe we have to build our house on ‘the rock’ (the parable of Jesus found in Matthew 7:25); the rock Christ Jesus. “And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock”.
What are you building your life on today? Will it stand against the storms of life? Or will you be washed away by the waves? Consumed by the storm! I have personally experienced my share of storms, but I’m still standing. Maybe because I chose to build on a firm foundation. It doesn’t matter if we do; we will still face storms, they will try to beat us down, wash us away, destroy us but God as promised to pick us up, to bring us through our storms; we are promised that He is with us, even ‘in’ the storm. We are never alone and He will meet our greatest need that Society can never meet; and that is our need to just belong. Isaiah 43:1 ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine’.
So what are you searching for? Have you been disillusioned by life and Society’s expectations? Do you feel you don’t belong, you don’t fit in? Mother Teresa once stated, ‘The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis but rather the feeling of not belonging’. But let me encourage you today and encourage myself; we do belong, we do have a purpose, we are a somebody. You are loved! You belong!