Belonging

A friend of mine recently shared about attending a large cultural event in our community.

She’d been many times before. She knew most of the people participating. But this year, it was different.

As soon as she arrived, she thought, “I don’t belong here.”

As a Christian, my friend recognized that a large part of this cultural event involved calling on spirits who are not God’s Holy Spirit.

She left.

Not long after, I took my children to attend a showing of the musical Oklahoma in a nearby town. 

The plot, lyrics, and choreography made me wish I had not brought my children to the theater. Eventually, it became clear that I should not have come. I turned around to view the hundred or so other faces in that theater. Were they surprised by the content?

There were some other children, but most of the other theater-goers were senior adults enjoying a day out. Some were smiling. In their eyes, I could see reflected the things I was objecting to. But no one stood up to leave.

I should have.

I didn’t belong there. 

Perhaps some would argue that there is much worse out there than this famous musical from the 40s. Perhaps some would label me a prude or a legalist.

But, I felt the prick of the Holy Spirit reminding me of the Scripture, “I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless.”

Not only that, I had set something worthless in front of my children just because it was culturally acceptable. 

It is not culturally acceptable to draw these kinds of lines in the sand, even in my Christian circles. A lot of talk about perceived grace blurs the line between good and evil until even Christians can’t tell where we belong and where we don’t.

Psalm 106 may as well be telling our story. God delivered us, but we rebelled by the Red Sea. 

Would it be so wrong to return to Egypt? It is the only culture we know!

Would it be so bad to want some meat? It’s the least God could do since He led us into the desert.

What’s so wrong about a golden calf? It is the artisanry of our people and a valuable artifact from our history.

Why not establish an outreach to the people who worship Baal of Peor? They will know we care about them when we are willing to yoke ourselves to them. 

More Spirit-filled people need to stand up and say, “I don’t belong here,” regardless of the culture. 

If we don’t, our outcome will be the same as the Israelites of long ago: “They mixed with the nations and learned to do as they did. They served their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan…”

Where do we belong? “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” We belong with Jesus.