A Yearning to Belong

As an undergraduate at Indiana University, I had a longing to be a member of a special sorority. I appreciated this sorority’s legacy of academic excellence, service to the community, and the “cool” of the group. A few years later, I would pledge the graduate chapter of this same sorority. Today, our sorority continues provide service in communities across the nation. Memberships in sororities and other groups speak to a deep human need.  What is it about the need to belong?

In Eternal Echoes, Exploring our Yearning to Belong, John O’Donohue digs deep into the desire to belong.  “Why do we need to belong? What is this desire so deeply rooted in every heart? The longing to belong seems to be ancient and at the core of our nature. Though you may often feel isolated, it is the nature of your soul to belong. The soul can never be separate, its eternal dream is intimacy and belonging. When we are rejected or excluded, we become deeply wounded.   The most terrifying image in Christian theology is absolute exclusion from belonging. “ I think this book is worth reading.

Last evening, I was a part of a weekly Bible discussion. It is in this group where I continue to embrace and discover real belonging. We are in this journey together. We are not here to prove a point or point a finger. As I study the Bible, I grow to appreciate the God who invites, who instructs, who encourages, who shelters, and who heals. Studying God’s word transforms me. It shapes me for eternity. God invites us to belong to Him.