The Gift Of Belonging

“We don’t think ourselves into a new way of living; we live ourselves into a new way of thinking.” — Richard Rohr

Not long ago, a woman came up to me after worship and said quietly, “I didn’t think church could feel like this anymore.” She didn’t exactly mean the music or the sermon. What she meant was she felt at home.

She told me that she had been searching for years — through faith communities, friend groups, even volunteer work — trying to find a place that felt like it fit. “I think I forgot what belonging feels like,” she said.

That conversation has stayed with me because it reveals something profoundly human: our souls are wired for connection. We were never meant to walk through life alone.  And there is something profoundly different between merely being welcomed into a faith community and being included.  

From the beginning, God declared, “It is not good for the human to be alone.” (Genesis 2:18) Belonging isn’t a luxury; it’s a holy necessity.  And far too many of us who say that we follow Jesus forget this when faced with the barriers of religious dogma and societal pressure.  

And yet, we live in a world that confuses belonging with fitting in. Fitting in means changing yourself to be accepted. Belonging means being received as you are. 

 Jesus modeled this kind of radical welcome everywhere He went — eating with outcasts, touching lepers, calling fishermen, blessing children, defending women, and inviting Pharisees. His community was messy and wide open, bound not by uniformity but by love.

When Paul writes that “each member belongs to all the others,” he’s describing something breathtaking: mutuality. In Christ, we’re not just in community; we are community. The Church isn’t a club we attend; it’s something beautiful we embody. When one of us rejoices, all of us rejoice. When one suffers, all share the pain.

Belonging to one another means choosing empathy over apathy, presence over isolation. It means noticing who’s missing from the table and making room for them. It means remembering that every “them” in the world is someone God calls “us.”

The gift of belonging is also the calling to create belonging for others. Every time you open your home, share a meal, extend forgiveness, or listen with care, you become an instrument of divine welcome. You remind people that God’s love still has room.

Prayer

God of community,
thank You for calling us into belonging.
Where there is isolation, teach us to connect.
Where there is exclusion, help us widen the circle.
Let our lives become open doors
through which Your love is felt and known.
Bind us together in grace,
so that everyone we meet knows
they have a place at Your table.
Amen.

Reflection Questions

1. Where in your life have you felt the deep gift of true belonging?

2. Who might need to experience a welcome from you this week?

3. What is one way your church or community could better embody Christ’s wide embrace?