Recently I was listening to a podcast from a Christian
source talking about LGBTQ labels and identities. Although I disagreed with
some of what was said, it did make me think more broadly about the desire of every
human being to find a sense of belonging. We all want to feel that we are
loved, accepted, and appreciated, but sometimes we look in the wrong places for
that community. Our children and youth are subjected to an increasing number of
identity “options,” as well as peer pressure to declare their chosen labels
(although some change frequently!). Things were a bit simpler back in my school
days when there were just a few cliques based on activities and not usually based
on personalities, preferences, and attractions. We all knew that once we
graduated most of those groups would disappear.
As Christians, we should be the people who are most
comfortable with our identities and community—after all, we belong to the God
who created the universe, who made us in His image and adopted us into His eternal
family through faith in Jesus Christ. Our core identity as children of God doesn’t
change. “You also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you
may belong to another, to Him who has been raised from the death, in order that
we may bear fruit for God” (Rom. 7:4).
In practice, however, many Christians still struggle with
feelings of alienation, shame, and rejection. Churches tend to adopt certain standards
of what a good Christian or a godly man or woman should look like, and whether
we realize it or not, often those standards are based more on conservative
culture than on biblical definitions. Some of us may feel like we don’t quite
fit in if we look a little different, have different interests, or struggle
with certain temptations that are deemed taboo to even talk about. We’re all
sinners covered by the mercy and grace of God.
It’s often been said that Sunday morning is the most
segregated time of the week. This isn’t just true of race, but of other
characteristics as well. Some folks church-hop until they find one where everyone
is just like them. Some churches segregate the ages into different groups. Churches
separate themselves theologically based doctrinal distinctives. There’s a
cowboy church down the road. You name it, there’s probably a church for it.
And yet every true believer is part of the same family,
united under the headship of Christ and supposedly pursuing the same mission. What
would it take for us to focus more on what we have in common in Christ than on
the traits that separate us from other believers? How might we remind one
another that we do belong together, even though we are each unique in many ways?
I don’t have the answers, but I know that we adults need assurance that we are
loved and accepted just as much as our kids do.
“In every nation anyone who fears Him and does what is
right is acceptable to Him” (Acts 10:35). “I… urge you to walk in a manner
worthy of the calling to which you have been called… eager to maintain the unity
of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:1-2).
© 2023 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture
are ESV and all images copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do
not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.
