I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. – John 14:18
Struggling to fit in or make friends in the place or season of life you find yourself? Here are just a few simple things that have helped me through a similar season of life, along with a prayer I regularly prayed for God’s closeness.
Know your identity
When we know our identity is in Christ, we can experience freedom from trying to be the person we think other people want us to be. Trying so hard to fit in with a group is a way of bringing glory to our self and the people we’re looking to for acceptance. Knowing and embracing our identity in Christ brings God the glory.
Explore your interests
Do you know the music, writers, artists, and hobbies that you most enjoy? Or, like me in my adolescence, did your own interests get lost while trying to fit in with others’ interests? Spend some time peeling back the layers of who you are and discovering your own passions.
Find a group or club founded on similar interests
What passions of yours have you discovered? Now that you’re embracing them, find others who will embrace them with you! You’d be surprised how many groups or clubs exist in your area, though it shouldn’t come as a shock to us—we’re all looking for a place to belong.
Volunteer your time
If you’re having a hard time finding the hobby or interests you most enjoy, try volunteering at a church, recreation center, or club in your area. You can serve your community while meeting great new friends!
Reach out
Feeling that we don’t fit in is painful and lonely. The worst thing we can do when we feel weighed down by the ache of not fitting in is keeping it all to ourselves. Finding a counselor or contacting your pastor is a fantastic resource; these people will join you, help you to process your feelings, and might even have some great ideas of how you can get connected to people with similar hobbies.
We want to fit in—all of us do. God created us to be in community with others, sharing our passions and gifts with one another. It is so hard when we cannot find people who share or appreciate our interests. This, however, does not mean that you or your interests do not matter.
As we continue to discover more of who we are, may we never forget whose we are. You are His—a perfect fit for the God of the Universe.
Let’s pray:
Lord, I am just so lonely. My heart longs for friendships, for even one good friend nearby. Lord, I know you wouldn’t let me go through this loneliness without having a good reason for it. Help me long for you and relationship with you before all other things. I know that if I have you I have everything I need. Help me find satisfaction in you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Today's Bible Verse...
That is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Thoughts on Today's Verse... Following a list of vices, both scandalous and common, Paul finishes with this incredible word of grace. We all have a tendency to live in the land of "I-used-to-be." For some of us, our past accomplishments become our excuse to live in the arrogant afterglow of yesterday. Paul wrote Philippians 3:4b-9 for this group. For others of us, the wounds and sins of our past become the bag of rocks we drag with us through the rest of life. We take those "rancid rocks" out and inspect them once again to our misery. We use them as proof of why we can't move on with our lives. What a glorious awakening Paul gives us in this passage. In Christ, there are no more bags and no more rocks. We're clean! We're made holy! We're declared innocent of any wrongdoing. How? Why? Who? The sacrifice and triumph of Jesus and the powerful work of the Holy Spirit.
My Prayer... Forgive me, Father, for lingering on yesterdays, ruining my todays, and clouding up my tomorrows. Help me with my tendency to live in the land of "I-used-to-be." Give me the courage to believe that you have put my past in its proper place and want to do a new glorious thing in me today, a glorious and gracious thing that brings you honor and me salvation! In Jesus' name I thank you. Amen.
The Thoughts and Prayer on Today's Verse are written by Phil Ware.
Today's Verse Illustrated...
Loving a Brother Like a Man by Doug Hall
No comments:
Post a Comment