Daily Affirmations - Day 1 - To Whom I Belong: Signed, Sealed, Delivered
This week's Theme: To Whom I Belong
Day 1: Signed, Sealed, Delivered
It’s in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free—signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit... (Ephesians 1:13- MSG).
I grew up on a small island at a time when it was not an exaggeration to make the claim, "everybody knows everybody." With a population of just under 100,000, degrees of separation were few, or non-existent, especially in small, rural communities like the one where I lived.
The rare stranger might not be known personally, but would almost certainly be known by family, and it was not uncommon to hear the point blank question, "Aaayeh, ah who yo' belong to?" — an identity question that contained subtle layers of both challenge and invitation.
My own family had ties outside our immediate village— my dad hailed from the opposite coast, but had grown up in the island's capital where his family had moved when he was a small boy. And so it was that despite the limitations of transportation and general access.
the borders for my family extended beyond our rural world.
My father and his siblings had a unique last name, being the only descendants of a family tree from a neighboring island. This made us even more identifiable in an already small populace, and the identity questions directed at my siblings and me were usually geared towards determining which one of the brothers was our father.
That custom, though, was not unique in our family experience— as the years passed and my circle expanded, it was not uncommon to hear my friends asked, "Which one of the Brownes...", "Which one of the Mulraines?..."
Time has moved on; the population has grown slightly, and things have changed in many other ways. Yet we remain a small nation with many levels of connection.
With better transportation and better access, rural boundaries are not as marked or as consequential as in the past. In some ways "everybody knows everybody" now applies in a broader sense while less so in the old, intimate ways. "Family mapping" continues to be a significant part of connectivity, often working towards or against advantage in many of the interactions and transactions— large or small— in our society.
Not just in my own small society, though— in different ways, the question of "belonging" is woven into the social fabric of many cultures. And as I think of how important it can be for relating or positioning in an ever-changing human context, I can't help noting the contrast with an unchanging God in whom value and security are unshakeable. The apostle Paul writes of this bedrock assurance:
Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are His...” (2 Timothy 2:19).
And how well he knew the meaning of this security! Caught in a raging storm as he was being transported to Rome, Paul realized his worst fears when the voyage became every bit as disastrous as he had warned. As conditions intensified and their survival measures failed one after the other, everyone on board finally gave up all hope of being saved (Acts 27:10-20).
Yet it was with confidence that Paul addressed his fellow-sailors, with the message of hope he had received from the God [who] knows those who are His: Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul...“ Acts 27:23).
The God who stamped His image on humanity has endowed all of His creation with intrinsic value. But in a world where the perfect image He intended for us was marred and broken by sin, the only way back to all He intended is through the Son He sent to restore us and reconcile us to Himself:
To all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12).
And He has provided an unbreakable guarantee for His children: And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14).
And when anyone asks, "Aaayeh, ah who yo' belong to?" those who believe and follow Christ can confidently say, "I belong to the Lord" (Romans 14:8).
Comments