You Are Mine

I remember a season of not belonging. Of being rejected. Shunned. This period of time has since gone down as The Third Grade War.

My best friend and I had some kind of falling-out, like you do when you’re eight. Maybe my uneven bangs were the root of her jealousy in 1987. Or perhaps it was the hairspray I snuck from my sister’s room to make them stiff and perfect. Whatever the reason, the social structure was too small for the both of us. One of us had to go. And it was me.

She gathered all the other girls and declared that no one play with me at recess, no one be kind to me, and no one talk to me.

Some of the boys extended mercy and let me in on their weird war games at recess, but by and large, I belonged nowhere. It was the worst. To not have a sense of acceptance, comfort, and belonging.

Have you been there? Whether in childhood or adulthood? Feeling misplaced and unanchored?

You’re not alone. And before you keep feeling sorry for me, that was more than thirty years ago, and I am doing just fine.

One of the greatest graces we are given from the Father is belonging. There is no question about this. He looks at us, loves us, and says, “You are Mine.”

We can drop our anchor and sink into this grounding truth. We belong to the Maker of heaven and earth, and no third-grade war or break-room gossip can take that away from us.

This is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; . . . You are precious and honored in my sight.”

Isaiah 43:1-4, niv

No matter what waters surround us, we can be anchored in this: God calls us His. We are chosen by God and belong to Him.

Grace Reflection: Close your eyes for a minute and whisper, “I belong to God.” Let that truth sink in and anchor your soul. Ask God to help you believe it.