"Longing for Belonging"

         

Scanning the picture posts on the social media, Facebook, I noticed a common theme this morning… “back-to-school” smiles beaming at proud parents hiding tears behind the camera lens. Someday, those smiling children will look at their pictures and will likely give themselves an embarrassed laugh… “Look at my hair, my glasses, my missing teeth, or my crazy clothes.”

Although kids are confronted with crowded school hallways, overly weighted down backpacks, deceptively decorated food called “lunch”, and adjustments to new surroundings, there is even a greater internal quest lurking beneath the surface. “Who will be my friends?” and “Where will I find acceptance?” or “Will they like me?” It is out of the center of human exigency, we have the innate “longing to belonging.”

As early as 1943, Abraham Maslow’s included this concept in his model “Hierarchy of Needs” as the need to find belonging, love, and acceptance. According to Maslow’s theory, the only greater human needs than belonging are those of physiological and security needs. Modern social scientists have attempted to define the human need for social dependency by creating the term, “belongingness” defined as “the quality or state of being an essential or important part of something.”

Jesus gathered to himself circles of family, friends, and acquaintances of varying degrees of closeness to support his own human need of “belongingness.” In return, Jesus’ capacity to express genuine love and acceptance satisfied the same appetite felt by others.

When Jesus knew he would soon be departing this life and leaving an “empty space” in the lives of his disciples, he prayed to the Heavenly Father, “Just as you are in me and I am in you… May they also be in us.” (John 17:21) The disciples were unaware of the great emptiness and loneliness they were about to experience as Jesus left them with this Godly promise, “I will never leave you.” (Hebrews 13:5) Jesus encouraged his companions, “Do not let your hearts be troubled” and “I am going to prepare a place for you…that you may be where I am.” (John 14:1,2)

We all have a desperate aching that drives us toward intimacy and relationships, which can only be satisfied by “being one with the Father and His Son.” Intimacy with the Father is the only true solution to “belongingness.” Once we can discover the love and acceptance of the heavenly Father, we can then confidently communicate that same “belongingness” to include others in our circles of “belonging.”

Be on the watch for someone who is expressing a “longing for belonging” and share the joy of acceptance.

Out of... My Father's Hand

“OUT OF… MY FATHER’S HAND”

Out of the darkness…

we see light.

Out of the silence…

we hear singing.

Out of the fear…

we develop trust.

Out of the wandering thoughts…

we stumble upon wisdom.

Out of the fire…

                      we learn obedience.

Out of the loneliness…

we receive comfort.

Out of the brokenness…

we are healed.

Out of the sleeplessness…

we find rest.

Out of the tears…

we strengthen our resolve.

Out of the memories…

we experience joy.

Out of the chaos…

we settle in peace.

Out of the unfulfilled promises…

we cling to hope.

Out of the reality of loss…

we are encouraged by new life.

Out of the grief…

                      we rise into rejoicing.

 ^“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish;

no one will snatch them…

Out of my Father’s hand.”  _{(John 10:28-9)}

                 

--  Terry W. Petty

"At least there is hope for a tree"

"At least there is hope for a tree"

 

On Tuesday, July 24, 2012, Larry Lee Palser, my brother-in-law escaped this life and planted his feet in heavenly places. Once again, the busyness of this life was interrupted with the opportunity to consider those things most precious; family, a firm spiritual foundation of faith and hope, and a heritage built on the faithfulness of our forefathers.

As we labored to comprehend the emotional and spiritual journey thrust before us, our family’s attention was turned to the writings of Job. “A person’s days are determined” (Job 14:5). Comfort was found in the assurance of God’s presence, even in times of disillusion and imbalance. Job, himself, struggled deeply with the significant loss confronting him, and yet his character would not allow him to “curse God and die” but his integrity steadied his faith… “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” (Job 2:9; 13:5).

In his despair, Job bemoaned “At least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail” (Job 14:7).

The expression is a promise of resurrection and renewal of life once it has been beaten down or razed by tragedy. As I meditated on the word picture, I sensed a spark of consolation and maybe even a glimmer of humor emerging out of the depths… “At least there is hope for a tree.” 

In my simplistic understanding of this imagery, if Job can find “hope for a tree” then perhaps I can find a “hope for me” when I am feeling like nothing more than a useless stump. Even the stump of a tree can be useful for a weary hiker seeking a place to recover from near exhaustion and find rest.

Job completes his analogy with a vision of the future, “yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant” (vs. 9).  It only takes a “scent of water” for the tree to regain its thrive to survive.

When faced with times of adversity and affliction which seem to throw us prostrate on our faces, may our tears of despair evolve into the scent of water giving birth to a sense of hope and satisfying renewal.

AFTER THE STORM THE REFLECTS THE PROMISE:  

“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family” (Hebrews 11:7)

The age-old story of Noah, building an ark, is a chronicle of God’s plan, purpose, provision, and promise. 

God’s original plan was indescribably altered by a single act of disobedience, Adam’s. Humans, left to their own disposition, created an environment of chaos and destruction, so devastating… God simply reached a place of determinate action. “The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled” (Genesis 6:6). 

I am struck with the consideration of God’s sense of regret and troubled heart. Yet, God remained true to His vow by re-working His plan to ultimately fulfill a greater purpose. God’s creation of man was renewed from a genesis of Adam, to a fresh start using the personage of Noah. “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8).

We may discover our previous lifetime dreams are thwarted by either the consequence of our own actions, or perhaps due to a force beyond our control. It should be no surprise to experience times of regret and trouble hearts, for we are made in His image.

Could it be that we become unsettled and fearful when our carefully laid-out plans are in need of re-direction? Has the circumstance left us no recourse except to re-construct on a new foundation?  Following the example of our Maker, we too must be willing to return to the drawing board and remake the plan.  We are driven to re-design a future that may be far different than we could have ever conceived by our own imaginations.

Noah was confronted with instruction to build a future that required taking steps of obedience beyond his ability to envision or understand. Noah’s action, rooted in faith, was based on a future he was incapable of comprehending.  What possible purpose would there be for Noah to build a floating zoo, miles from any existing body of water, and never having experienced water falling from the heavens in the form of rain?

By faith, Noah built an ark. Noah could not see God’s purpose or plan, he could only be faithful to walk out the steps in obedience. The reward was to have found favor in the eyes of God and a future existence for his family.

By an oath, God declared his promise: ^“I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth” (Genesis 9:13).  God’s promise was not given to Noah in advance of the impending storm, but a sign of remembrance. 

From this side of the storm, we are not able to see the rainbow. It is only after the storm has past the sun reflects the promise of God’s purpose and handiwork.

The lyrics penned by Ira Stanphill (1950) embrace the truth of the promise….

“Many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand.”

Spiritual Peacebuilding

In the church world, there is an abundance of teaching about spiritual warfare, but little is known about the next dimension, spiritual peacebuilding.

Library shelves are lined with books about fighting spiritual warfare -- standing firm “against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12) but there are few titles that promote the pathways to the “peace that transcends all understanding” (Phil. 4:7).

Christians around the world proudly proclaim the war cry, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood” (Eph. 6:13) and then attack the very people they are commanded to love. In more severe cases of conflict, opponents may even be demonized by being assigned names of evil spirits to their bad behaviors; he has a spirit of unforgiveness, she has a Jezebel spirit, they must have unconfessed sin in their lives, or they are a cancer that has to be removed. Some writers even make exhaustive lists, to assure that every evil spirit is exposed. Don’t be mistaken, there is a time for genuine spiritual warfare where believers are commanded to take a stand against Satan and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms, fearlessly proclaiming the “manifold wisdom of God” (Eph 6:10-11; 3:10). However, many of the battles could be avoided, or kept from being so damaging, if the church would teach and practice effective peacemaking skills rather than focusing on spiritual warfare alone.

By creating an environment where open dialogue, looking out for the interest of others, and problem solving skills are a first response rather than the final attempt to stop the hurting or halt the division, there would be more churches enjoying a peaceful ministry. A knife has the capability to kill in the hands of an angry and resentful victim. A knife also has the ability to be skillfully used in the hand of a surgeon who knows exactly where to cut with precision and leave only the faintest reminder of a scar.
--- excerpt from "The Peace-Full Church: Spiritual Peacebuilding for Church Leaders

Strengthened by His Peace

Conscience or Divine Encouragement?

The clock on my phone beamed out of the darkness 4:10 a.m. A revolving thought, you know the kind… a single thought circling in your mind… repeating… rehearsing… like a nervous honeybee -- the words were searching for a place to land.

The meditation wasn’t earth shattering, or even that important when compared to issues that often awaken a person from a sound sleep.  It was a simple item from yesterday’s “to do list” that was carrying itself over to the next day.  The day before, I sent an email to the customer service department of a major international company regarding a request to close an account I was no longer using.  Nearly 14 hours had past, since I sent the email request, and there was no reply in my inbox, -- which I found a bit strange because generally there is at least an auto-reply informing me the email had been received.

After about 20 minutes of restlessness, I decided to rise from my bed and descend downstairs to call the customer service number and see if I could progress beyond the automated voice system and actually talk with a real person.  Being the middle of the night, I expected the representative to be located in the Philippines, or India, or in some other exotic out-sourced locale.

The automated system quickly announced, “You are being transferred to a customer service representative in Ohio.”  And with no additional wait time, I heard the live voice, “Hello, this is Nancy, may I have your name?”  I politely answered, “My name is Terry Petty and I would like to close my account.”

Nancy seemed a bit surprised… as did I… when she said, “Mr. Petty, I am the one who answered your email request. In fact, I just hit the SEND button before I answered this call. Your account information is still open on my screen.” Amazed, I questioned myself, what are the chances that could happen?  The exact timing… the very individual… there are potentially hundreds of customer service representatives stationed all over the globe that could have been routed to this call! 

Nancy efficiently attended to my request. I offered my appreciation for her assistance and extended wishes for her to have a great day. Five minutes after the ending of the telephone conversation, my phone announced I had a “new email.”  The emailed template reply transported from Nancy’s computer in Ohio, to a satellite in outer space, and then to its destination, my IN-BOX, before and after the time I personally communicated with her on the phone.

As I nestled my pillow to go back to sleep, I had a new thought to contemplate. Did I just experience a remarkable coincidence? Or had I just received a gift of divine encouragement?

I took comfort in realizing that God entered my sleep, communicated with me by using incredible precision and detail, and reminded me of His loving care.

Over the past several months, I have questioned my ability to “hear God’s voice” and with sincerity would pray “am I faithfully being obedient to God’s leading?”  Once again, the Lord has demonstrated His intimate presence. I am indeed grateful and strengthened by His peace.

Isaiah 58:11 “The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”

The Capacity of God

Been thinking about the CAPACITY OF GOD in leadership terms.... 1. He is able to see the biggest picture 2. He gives attention to the smallest of details 3. He has the capability to destroy at will, but He chooses REDEMPTION for those who are willing to receive His gift.

How much of our CAPACITY is returned to Him as followers? 1. Do we credit God with the wisdom to see and do what is best? 2. Do we realize how much God loves us unconditionally? 3. Are we over-whelmed with His gift of grace?

Add your own thoughts about GOD'S CAPACITY in your lives....