I have been thinking about "belonging" a lot lately.
I believe inside each of us, we have a deep desire to BELONG.
We want to belong to something.
We want to belong somewhere.
Maybe you have a favorite coffeeshop you go to everyday. You walk in, the people working there know you by name, you have a favorite drink you always order, and you see familiar faces of other customers/friends. Maybe you love exercising and you feel like you belong at
your gym (I have a lot of friends into Crossfit). Or maybe you're like my sister and you love
YouTube videos and go to VidCon every year, where they bring YouTube
personalities together for a big three day conference. Maybe you're a
Trekkie and you love the feeling of going to those Star Trek
conventions. Maybe you feel
like you belong in a bookstore, concert hall, or movie theater. Where do
you love to go and nerd out? Where is a place where even if you and everyone else are so different from each other, you have that one thing in common?
I'm going to share three illustrations in my own life of where I feel like I belong (these 3 are the first that popped to my mind).
1) Disneyland
I have loved Disneyland ever since I was a kid. When I went to college in southern Cal, my friends and I bought annual passes and went every single weekend. And my best friend has been working at D-land since 1998 (she even met her husband there!) so anytime I visit them, we go party with Mickey. You'd think someone who has been to the Happiest Place On Earth so much would grow tired of it. But no. I love it just as much as ever. And everytime I walk through the gates and enter Main Street, I have the same feeling. I am surrounded by families, kids, parades, magic, dreams, hope, sights, smells, sounds, fireworks, shows, happiness. I love nerding out with people about Disneyland. We talk about our favorite rides or favorite experiences. And don't even get me started on how awesome that place is at Christmas time. When I find out from a friend that they've never been, I immediately say, "We HAVE to go!" I want them to enjoy this place as much as I do.
2) AT&T Park
Home of the San Francisco Giants. If you're friends with me on facebook, you're probably tired of reading my status updates about the Giants. But I can't help it. I luff those boys. I know all their names, stats, personalities, and stories. I love being inside AT&T Park with 42,000 fellow fans, all wearing our orange and black, and cheering our hearts (and throats) out. I belong there. I can nerd out as much as I want because everyone there understands me completely and can talk for hours with me about the game. And it doesn't matter what ballpark you go to - it's just a fun experience. You can feel the electricity in the air, you get to eat hot dogs, peanuts, and cotton candy, and there are all sorts of fun games or activities between innings (kiss cam, dance cam, contests, videos of players answering funny questions, sing-alongs, 7th inning stretch, etc). When I meet someone who hasn't been to the park, I immediately say, "We HAVE to go!"
3) The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
I have and always will love that little wizard. Favorite book series. When I had the opportunity to go to Orlando and visit the newly opened Harry Potter theme park last October, I jumped at it. Best. Day. Ever. I wish I had a picture of my face to show you guys. I walked around smiling like an idiot ALL DAY. I couldn't stop. I belonged. The world I had created in my mind while reading these books was real and alive and right before my eyes. I nerded out BIG TIME that day. I could talk about dementors, boggarts, howlers, nargles, muggles, firebolts, bludgers, hippogriffs, horcruxes, deathly hallows, azkaban, butterbeer (most amazing thing I've ever drank), occlumency, basilisks, diagon alley, etc. to my heart's content. And people knew what I was talking about! I was tempted to hide inside Hogwarts castle so I didn't have to leave. Ever since I've been back, I've been telling Harry Potter peeps they need to go. (Side note: did you know they're building the same Harry Potter theme park in the Universal Studios in Hollywood?! 6 hours away!!)
Why bring all this up?
Because I have been thinking about the Church. (Church with a capital "C").
The ultimate place to belong.
With my new job, I've been realizing how much I love my church (church with a lower-case "c" - my actual church). With all my transition, the people I work with have been so kind and gracious and supportive. We really love each other. And it's because we love God and that love overflows onto others.
I am now looking forward to Sundays more than any other day of the week. I walk into church and I instantly feel it: I BELONG here. We gather for a common purpose. To worship God. We are all different, but we all have that in common.
There is nothing greater in my life. To gather with other believers and worship the Creator of heaven and earth. And it's happening all around the WORLD. People of every country, race, nationality, tribe, and walk of life are worshiping the one true God. We are the Church.
There are people out there who maybe don't worship on Sundays. Or maybe they never have. And I know how much I love that feeling of belonging. I need to be like I would be when I hear people have never read a Harry Potter book, or been to a baseball game or Disneyland. "We have to go!" I want them to experience how good and rich and deep and purposeful life is with God. I want them to come "nerd out" about God with me. I want them to realize that being a part of the Church is where they belong.
