Belong

"Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and insult you and reject you as evil on the account of the Son of Man!"  -Jesus Christ (Luke 22:6)

I get a kick out of dropping my boys off at day care in the mornings.  Elliott is in a class with about eight other wild and crazy three year-old boys and only one girl.  (Poor thing!) Many mornings when I drop Elliott off, some of the other boys have already been playing together and I enjoy watching Elliott work his way into the group.  If you think about it, even as adults, we all have the same longing to fit in, be accepted, and be a part of a group. It's difficult to be considered an "outsider" and people will go to great lengths to work their way into belonging. 

Look at the stickers on the cars you see on the road and most are little reminders of that driver being a part of some type of group.  Tri-Atheletes, swimmers, soccer players, tennis fanatics, golfers, Disney freaks, Repulicans, Democrats, churches, bands, etc.-people like being accepted and finding their identity with others. 

Jesus knew about rejection all too well.  In fact, He considered it a blessing to be an "outsider" and feels that we should do the same.  We will recieve God's eternal blessings in heaven for the ridicule and rejection we endure today.    As Christians, we know that this earth is not our final destination; our true home will be in heaven.  Other believers are outsiders too and their friendship and companionship can help with accountability when times are tough trying to remain faithful to God's will for your life.

We are simply passing through and we will one day be called back "home" and be blessed for the hardships we endured as believers while we were on this earth.