I DON’T BELONG HERE - OR DO I?
Bernadette Keene
Today’s Scripture: “Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2, ESV
Theme: Healing is a journey of shared strength, hope, and support from family, friends, and community who help to bear our burdens in time of need.
LET PEOPLE IN
As I write this devotion, my mom is on my mind. Her birthday was in June. She passed away after a brief but fierce battle with pancreatic cancer in 2014. I was with her when she was diagnosed. I remember we made eye contact, and we knew…She knew. She chose to fight, but she knew. I did not show my sadness in front of my mom. I guess I thought if I was strong, it would help her feel strong, too.
I remember friends reaching out to offer encouragement and comfort. I remember avoiding them. I would hold it in and then grieve quietly, unseen by the village of people who loved me. As hard as it was to watch my mom lose her independence and ability to care for herself, I acted like I didn’t need anything and felt like my grief was too much of a burden to share with others. I felt like I didn’t need people around to help me navigate the feeling of helplessness as I watched my mother slowly disappear before my eyes.
But the truth is; I did need them. I DO need them. We all need people to come alongside us to share the joy and sadness of this life. When we are faced with tragic moments and we are hurting, it may seem better to push people away for our own protection and theirs. Yet God designed us to surround the hurting so that the burden of sorrow would be more bearable and to rejoice with the joyful to strengthen our faith. But to do that, we must let each other in. “The village” is a good gift from God, and I am so grateful for mine.
WHY ME?
In the movie Penguin Bloom, Sam doesn’t pose the question of why, but as she looks at pictures of her former life as an active, independent woman, sharing a vibrant lifestyle with her family, she struggles with her life in the now. She hides from her village of family and friends who want to support and help her, but once she begins to heal, Sam experiences an epiphany as she floats in the water on her back during a training session with her kayak coach. Her coach cradles Sams head above the water as the gentle current washes over her and they sing the lyrics of Creep (by Radiohead), “I don’t belong here.” Like Sam, amid tragic situations we may wonder how we got to that place and feel we don’t belong there. We can choose to look back and allow the heavy current of sorrow to pull us under, or we can allow God and our village to cradle our heads above the water to help us float through the tough places we find ourselves in.
Make It Personal: I used to be a person who spent a lot of time looking back. Maybe you are that way, too. But when I think about the life behind me, it pales in comparison to where I am today and it makes me excited and hopeful for the future. The spiritual growth we experience between the then and now of life’s hardships reveals “overwhelming victory is ours through Christ” who loves us, (Romans 8:37b, NLT) when we trust where God has us TODAY is right where we are supposed to be. As we embrace what God has for us now, we grow and become a village member for others in their time of need.
Pray: Thank You, Lord, for the village of people that You provide for us in the good and difficult times of life. Help us to feel peace as we reflect on the hard times, remembering and giving thanks for Your provision and for the people who kept us afloat in the deep waters of grief. Help us to be a village for others in their time of need. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
Read: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, Colossians 3:12-14
Weekly Memory Verse: “Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” Psalm 62:8, NIV