i belong

you belong. you are accepted. these are words that everyone likes to hear. i think its a natural desire in all of us to feel like we belong to something. i have a friend who is great about making people feel accepted. he just tells them. “i enjoy you”, he will say. maybe he just says that to me because he sees that need in me, i don’t know. regardless, i think this is something we all long to hear. what a great gift to to give someone. making sure people know they are wanted. i just finished listening to pastor chris’ message from last wednesday. it’s entitled, “i belong”. but the message is to remind us that we belong to God. when we choose to follow Jesus, we decide to die to self. i don’t belong to myself nor do i belong to this world. Paul described it as being “God’s slave”. it just got me to thinking about how i’m not my own. and so the way i live my life, the way i treat others, it’s not about how i want it all to play out. its adopting His thoughts. its seeing people the way He sees them. its loving them as much as He loves them (talk about a hard one). its changed my perspective on everything this week. its a great message. i’d encourage you to get a copy if you attend highlands. if not, i’ll get you a copy. check it out. let me know what you think.