Your Place is in God’s Family

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named . . . // Ephesians 3:14-15

While I sit in the hallway of my childhood home, my parents argue behind a closed door. Why are they not getting along? I miss our time spent together, and I worry that our little family of three will soon be torn apart.

Living in a home with parents divided on many things is hard on any child. Experiencing it as an only child, without a sibling to turn to and share the pain with, makes it even harder.

During that time in my life, I felt lonely and isolated; my heart ached for companionship. While I could not always name it, eventually I learned that I suffered from wounds of abandonment and helplessness.

Slowly, however, God showed me the reality of my adoption in Christ through Baptism. He helped me recognize myself as His daughter, who is “rooted and grounded in love” in order “to know the love of Christ” (Ephesians 3:17, 19). With confidence, I began to see myself as part of “the people he has chosen for his own inheritance” (Psalm 33:12). 

I love my parents, and I am so grateful for them. I am especially grateful for their decision to bring me to the waters of Baptism, where I became a daughter of God. I cherish the good memories we shared together. As for that painful memory of me sitting in the hallway, now when I recall it, I cannot help but see Jesus sitting next to me, His arm around me, and my head resting on His shoulder. While I felt alone, I realize that I never was. The Lord was always with me, and He always will be.

My dear sister in Christ, I imagine you have experienced your own sense of loneliness at some point in your life. Maybe it was years ago, but the scars still remain. Or perhaps you are in a season of loneliness right now. My prayer for you today is that you may know your true belonging, your true place in God’s family, your true part of “the design of his heart” (Psalm 33:11).