By Michelle Barringer
To whom do you belong? We can fall into the trap of believing the lie that we don’t belong to anyone. Do you ever wonder if you disappeared, would anyone notice because you don’t feel like you belong to anyone? Here are three truths about where you belong.
We Belong to Jesus
When I accepted Jesus into my heart, I was only seven years old. Excited about this news, I shared my salvation story the next day with my second-grade class during show and tell. I belonged to Jesus.
While they probably didn’t understand what I proclaimed, the truth remained. I belonged to Jesus now. Accepting and believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior makes us a child of God (John 1:12).
When we are Christians, we belong to Jesus no matter what. “If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord” (Romans 14:8 NIV).
The Lord has gone to great lengths to show us who he is and who we are to him. The One who created and formed you calls you His. He says, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1 ESV).
“You are mine.” That’s the best message we’ve ever received! Friend, we belong to Jesus.
We Belong to the Body of Christ
From a young age, I had my circle of best friends. We banded together in kindergarten. This close bond lasted until our high school graduation when we each went our separate ways.
Throughout the years, I’ve belonged to many groups. But my favorite group to belong to is the body of Christ because this bond doesn’t end when we go our separate ways. It’s an eternal bond that lasts forever.
As children of God, we are not alone. In fact, Romans 12:5 says, “So in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (NIV). We belong to one another because we are one together.
That news should make us happy. We are not alone. We have each other. We’re stuck together with Jesus’ DNA forever!
This news should motivate us to help one another because we are family. Galatians 6:10 says, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (NIV). I love how Paul both validates we are family and encourages us particularly to help our family of believers.
Friend, you are not alone. You have a family who is forever and wants to do good to you. We are family, and we belong to the body of Christ.
We Belong to Our Husbands
When I first started dating my husband, it was so fun to say I was his girlfriend. Then we got engaged and it was even more fun to say I was his fiancé. When we got married, that was the ultimate: I was his wife.
I belonged to him. The Bible says, “The bride belongs to the bridegroom” (John 3:29a NIV). When we are married, we belong to our husbands.
Belonging to your husband doesn’t mean you are his possession. Rather, it means you have a bond with him like no one else in the world. In fact, when you are united with your husband in marriage, you became one (Genesis 2:24).
It’s a mystery for sure, and we may never completely understand it. But we don’t need to understand this mystery completely to know it’s true. We know we have a close and intimate relationship with our husband that we don’t have with anyone else.
What a wonderful thing it is to belong to someone. In marriage, we belong to our husbands.
Celebrate and Claim Your Belonging
So then, what do we do with all this belonging? Celebrate!
We are bound to Jesus, each other, and to our husbands. We are fastened together in a mysterious way. What a wonderful thing it is to know we belong.
If you feel alone, know this truth: You are not alone. If you feel like you do not belong, know this truth: You do belong to others.
When the devil speaks lies to you that you do not belong to anyone, shut him down. Claim your belonging! You belong to Jesus. You belong to the Body of Christ. You belong to your husband. Celebrate your belonging.
Wife Step: Choose one of the three truths this week to claim and celebrate.
Michelle Barringer is a writer, speaker, blogger, Gallup-certified Strengths Coach, and a full-time learning and development consultant. She has a master’s degree in communication. Michelle is currently writing her first book in the wee hours of the morning. She is NOT a morning person.
She’s journeyed with Jesus for a long time getting to know Him better, and has gotten to know herself better in the process. Michelle is an encourager and cheerleader. She only has one goal and mission in life: to live the purpose of God and encourage you to do the same. Her biggest passion is to encourage hearts in faith, purpose, and perseverance.
You can join Michelle on social media @michellerbarringer on Instagram and Facebook and her website www.michellebarringer.com where she writes about faith, purpose, and perseverance sharing true stories and biblical insight.
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