Jennifer Jackson Linck

Where Grace & Imperfection Collide

Five Minute Friday {Belong}

by

I remember peeking through the blinds and watching the group of girls next door. Their laughter was like a dagger to my heart. While they had fun, oblivious of the girl next door, I was alone in my room wondering why I didn’t belong.

I questioned what was wrong with me.

I wondered why I hadn’t been invited. After all, they were in my class.

And now, even at 32, there are still times I feel like I’m on the outside looking in.

I’ve never been part of the in crowd.

My close friends have always been just one or two – and I’m grateful for them – because they’ve endured the hard parts of life with me.

But there’s still a part of me that wants so badly to belong.

I crave community. 

I take it personally when a friendship fades over time.

All these years later and I’m still asking God what’s wrong with me.

And then He reminds me, late in the quiet of the night, that Jesus only had 12. They were his closest companions – but of those 12 only a few shared the intimate relationship with him that I do desperately crave to share with others.

I do belong – even when the phone doesn’t ring and the invites don’t come.

And you belong too.

We belong to the One who understands the longing and the hurt.

But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. (1 John 4:4)

 

***Today I’m linking up for Five Minute Friday. You can join all the fun here.


Comments

  1. Beautifully written. I’m sorry for the outsider feelings that you’ve experienced. You are absolutely right ~ you DO belong. Thanks be to God.

    • Thanks Trish! Friendships and relationships are just hard sometimes. This whole “belong” thing has been on my mind a lot lately. I probably could have written a lot more, but it’s a hard subject to be transparent about.
      Thanks for stopping by the blog today!

  2. i need that reminder all day everyday that i belong to One who will not take back His promise to belong. this kind of adoption is real, permanent, and deep!

  6. At age 62 I still struggle with these SAME feelings, & I obsess about what I am doing wrong, why no one ever seems to be drawn to me, why my phone seldom rings, etc. Although I know I belong to the Only One that truly & eternally matters – I still crave girlfriends! Wish we lived closer so we could be real life friends 🙂

  7. Thank you for the reminder that Jesus only had 12 close friends and of those, only a few very intimate ones! I needed that reminder! I’ve always felt like the odd one out. Maybe it’s a trait of the introvert because we choose to be alone some times, but wish we could join the extroverts occasionally ;).