"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of His household" Ephesians 2:19 NIV
When I began to think on this scripture it took me way back to a memory from when I was in elementary school. Although I don’t recall exactly what grade it was (maybe grade 1 or ), I do remember quite vividly what took place.
I was required to stay after school with some of the other students to finish the math work that wasn’t completed during class time. I can remember sitting and staring at the math equations not knowing what to do. It was all too much for me and I just didn’t understand. The conclusion I came to was this: if I didn’t understand, then I didn’t belong. The solution was to go where I knew I belonged. So I went to the coatroom, put on my boots and left for home without saying a word to anyone.
Belonging is what everyone one wants. It was even evident in this letter that Paul wrote to the Ephesians and in particular the scripture I started with. The Ephesians were a group of believers looking to belong, but were still young in their faith and understanding. Not only that but they also saw themselves as outsiders as they were Gentiles and not Jews. Paul wanted them to know that as believers they were “no longer foreigners or strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people”. Their belonging was not dependent on how much they knew or where they were from, but rather knowing that they were loved and that there was a place for them in “the family”.
You see it’s those who have a strong sense of being loved that have the courage to be themselves. To be imperfect. God wants us all to understand that. He wants us all to know just how much we're loved and accepted no matter what our past may be or how much we know. We are all members of His household as we receive the love given to us.
I don’t recall what the immediate outcome was when I decided to leave school that day but I do know that even at a very early age I was aware of where I was loved and accepted. I knew that it was not based on my performance but rather on me knowing I was loved and was part of the family. I was so loved that my parents sent me back to school to learn and now one of the things I am passionate about is exactly what I was afraid of failing in…numbers. I’m so glad that the unconditional love my parents gave me also gave me permission to fail while continuing to grow. This is exactly what Paul was doing with the Ephesians in this letter. Letting them know God loved them unconditionally and then pointing them toward growth and fulfillment.
MARV MCGEE
Operations Pastor
