Jan 12 - Psalm 24:1

The earth is the LORD's,

and everything in it.

The world and all its

people belong to him

Psalm 24:1

One of the greatest human needs is to belong.

We're wired that way. And it's from birth. Children need it from their parents -- need it, need it. We need to belong.

A man, like me, is blessed when he "belongs" to a woman. Marriage is partnership, not ownership. But saying we "belong" together means that we fit together, that we're incomplete without each other. Yes, it is more than ownership. It is a belonging, nurturing relationship. And when kids are added, the webs of belonging can be knit closer and richer.

Because of the breakdown in family, too many people go looking for a place to belong in the wrong places. Too many engage in serial sexual relationships. When the television show "Friends" debuted almost 20 years ago, the commentary was that friendships were replacing family among many young adults. The message was that you could count on – belong to – friends more than family.

But all of the circles back to the greater truth: we are wired to belong.

I like "belonging" to Mary Louise. And I like that my kids "belong" to me – even as they are beginning to find wives to "belong to" themselves.

Family and friends are a gift that God has given us. But even these glorious gifts point to an even more glorious need. Our sense of belonging comes from the fact that we are dependent by nature.

I know, I know. We like to think that we are independent. We like to live our lives on our own terms. We want to do our own thing. But ultimately we are dependent. We are dependent on God. He is the creator. He gives us life and breath. He set up the conditions for life to thrive on this planet. He holds the planets orbit and he holds the protons in orbit around the nucleus of an atom. Everything depends on him. Therefore, as this psalm suggests, we need God, we depend on God, we belong to God.

For some, their rugged independence finds this sense of belonging to God as an offensive inconvenience.

For others, it is a glorious freedom. Yes, I have to do my part ... but ultimately my purpose, joy, and success depend on someone wiser than me, kinder than me, more powerful than me, more mature than me, more joyful and loving and freeing than me.

Hi am dependent. I admit it. And because of that I am free. Indeed my dependence on God makes me independent from all of the other forces in this world. Where assess and independence from God makes us dependent on everything else.

For example, I love my wife! But we made a deal the day we got married – one of us would die first. That's what till death do us part means. I will grieve mightily if Mary Louise goes first ... But I won't be crushed. I love her amd count on her, but I do not ultimately depend on her. Ultimately, I depend on God. And that makes my relationship with her more joyful and free. It's a partnership not a dependence.

In Christ's Love,

a one-owner guy