Beauty in Belonging: Anchoring in Christ in Every Season by Jenny ErlingssonSample

Day 3: Belonging in Devotion

One of the reasons I know I need to realign myself in my identity is that when I read the Word, I have gotten so accustomed to output, I have a hard time receiving all the input into myself. In the season when I ministered to junior high students, I didn’t realize until I was away on maternity leave that I was having a hard time feeding myself spiritually. My mind had gotten used to reading Scriptures and immediately turning them into illustrations or message content. In doing so, I was distracted from cultivating my core needs. That core need is to know the Lord. As we discussed in Day 2, we don’t have to do anything to earn our identity in Christ; however, we are invited into a vibrant, intimate relationship with Him. If we struggle with belonging, it may be that we’ve forgotten we have the opportunity to cultivate a relationship with the King of the universe.

In Her Part to Play, Adanne didn’t necessarily struggle with her faith; she struggled with all the work she did not only to prove her worthiness to carry on the family legacy but also to fix the things that were out of control in her life. But none of this took away from her need to be in communion with God.

Adanne was silent for so long, John wondered if she had even heard him. She glanced back at him, her eyes luminescent with the sheen of tears.

“It’s not me doing the holding,” she whispered.

John swallowed, her tender and rich words filling his heart with needed strength. She had labored through some storms and probably still struggled now, but her simple statement revealed how anchored she remained.

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is when Jesus is in Bethany at the house of Lazarus and his sisters, Martha and Mary. Martha bustles around, preparing a meal for her guests and is frustrated because her sister just sits at Jesus’s feet. She calls her sister out, attempting to pull her away from Jesus. But instead of agreeing, Jesus gently calls out and corrects Martha’s thinking. His comment was not to villainize Martha or minimize the beautiful hospitality she showed. Jesus wanted to remind Martha that her core need is not to set up the perfect display or be proved right by having her sister get up and join her in the work. He is in the room. And He is still the one thing that will never be taken away. When we remember that we belong to Jesus, we will cultivate continual belonging as we abide in Him. Belonging, for ourselves and others, overflows from that type of relationship, something lasting that will never fade.