LOVE in the family of God
transcends the love of any other community by design of the predestined will of
him who made everything. God made humankind such that it could and would
coexist in harmony. But that design was wrecked, not because of God’s lack of
love, but because of the greatness of
his love — he gave humanity control over its destiny: to obey God or go our own
way.
We chose the latter and we’ve been
needy ever since.
Whenever we can’t or won’t exist in
harmony it’s a hellish arrangement for all concerned, as individuals and
collectively. Whenever we have significant relationship conflicts in our lives
we experience a kind of irrepressible soul ache. We feel not only far from the
other person or people effected, we can feel far from God, too, or at the very
least, far from contentment. We’re definitely not ourselves when we’re
confronted by our bitterness, resentment, social avoidance, or fear.
The church is the family of God and
it’s designed that everyone belongs; everyone, that is, who is open to calling
Christ their Lord. Practically, this presumes an inclusive church fellowship. There can be no other designation in
the Kingdom of God.
Simply, belonging matters.
A happy person is a person who has
found peace with God, the place they belong (the church), and their purpose.
That person is open now; their purpose is open; to one of becoming.
If we belong, and we have beliefs
based in the truth, we’re able to more fully enter the process of becoming. So
becoming is helped inextricably by feelings of belonging and of believing — and
better, these two in combination.
We could also see it like this: belonging
(being at peace with ourselves within a community) added to believing
(in truths that sit well and find their contentment inside us — another peace) equals
the capacity of becoming.
Belonging + Believing = Becoming.
***
Being at peace within a loving
community, belonging, and being at peace with one’s life truths, believing, is
the way to becoming.
We cannot be happy in life until we
belong. We also need the happy grounding of faith. Then we have no impediment
in becoming.
Becoming is the drive to actualise
what God is leading us toward; becoming is growth in the faith that proves that
growth in the faith is God’s work in us.
We believe in God all the more when
we see what he’s doing in us; when he’s taking us on the journey of becoming.
We also feel we belong in a community
of God when we’re becoming, where others, all around us, are becoming.
Becoming is the purpose of life,
because life makes no sense if we stay where we are. In fact, if we stay where
we are, we’re quickly sliding backward.
There is no such thing as standing
still in the faith; it’s either about growth or backsliding — both are about
becoming.
The journey of becoming is everyone’s journey
of opportunity.
Such a journey is an obligation for
any fair-minded individual. They know they must enter the hunt of becoming, of
truly living, or live a meaningless life which has no point.
© 2015 Steve Wickham.
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