30 Days of Bite-Sized Faith: Five

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." (1 Peter 2:9-10)

Today I had a discussion about the fact that we, as a society, seem to be obsessed with labels. We have words now for every walk of life, physical condition, interest group, etc. Now is not the time for me to really get into how I feel about this labeling obsession, but when today's discussion turned to why we feel the need to categorize every condition, my take was this: "I think everyone wants to feel like they belong somewhere."

There isn't much that makes me stand out. I'm a pretty average young girl, studying for a pretty unremarkable Master's degree, and I'll soon be working a fairly normal job. I don't get out with friends much ever. I don't have great talents or incredible passions. I don't want to change the world. Sometimes I feel a little lost, or maybe even invisible. But no matter what, God sees me. I'm still a part of His chosen people. He knows my name and hears my prayers. In a world that expects me to make my mark, I am already marked for salvation. I am a witness to the grace and love of God with my own actions. I don't need to be surrounded by people just like me, or find some way to identify myself. I am complex, and I don't fit into a category like the world expects me to, because this place isn't where my story ends. I am here, and there are times I feel like I belong here, but this is not my home. Someday I will be with my Savior, and I'll know what it's like to never feel the restlessness of searching for my place.

Whenever you feel out of place, remember that you always belong in God's arms.