Hesitantly, I stepped onto the machine. It had been years since I’d been to a gym, let alone used an exercise machine. It was January–the perfect time to focus on health and well-being, right?
As I looked around, I saw women in the zone: coordinated and confident. I quickly realized how out of place I looked. I didn’t know what to do or how to do it. Even my clothing looked outdated. I don’t belong.
I completed my workout, but on the way home, the nagging feeling of not belonging lingered. Awareness of the differences between me and the regulars was acute. I was ready to quit, but then I realized that the fact I didn’t belong was precisely the reason I did belong. It revealed my need. It underscored my hopes.
Soon I thought of others who, like me, long to belong. Not in a gym but in a church or Bible study setting. People don’t always know how to navigate that space, just as I didn’t know how to navigate the gym. Both require a welcoming presence–and a friendly face–to help ease the discomfort of the unknown.
I thought of the new families I had recently seen at church. Are they ready to call it quits? Do they battle the nagging feeling of not belonging? Will they come back? “How can I help them feel welcomed?” I wondered.
I remember when going to church was a new thing for me. I questioned everything. Was it okay to wear this? Say that? More than anything, I wanted to belong.
Thankfully, the people who welcomed me knew what I discovered at the gym: My uncertainties and lack of knowledge were the exact reasons I belonged. My presence revealed my need–for Christ. My involvement, although imperfect, underscored my hopes–growth in Him.
In a new year, many make resolutions to join a gym. But some will give church or Bible study another chance. At either place, they’re looking for the same thing: belonging.
What a privilege it is to welcome others into our lives–or churches–in the name of Christ. To show them they’re wanted, however different they may be. Regardless of how out of shape spiritually they may be.
Jesus demonstrated the power of such a welcome when He met a Samaritan woman at a well (John 4). These two at the well–Jesus and the Samaritan–could not be more different in gender, culture, or background. She had a need she didn’t know how to fill. She was spiritually flabby and not even seeking a Savior. But because of Christ’s welcome, she saw in Him her longing fulfilled.
Despite her early lack of understanding, she came to believe He was the Messiah. Not only did she believe, but because of her testimony, many others in her city also believed. We read their words in John 4:42, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the World” (NKJV).
Because one woman perceived that she was welcomed by Christ–and came to believe in Him–an entire city was transformed. Imagine what could happen in our churches, cities, or communities if we welcomed others with the heart of Christ. Who around us might eventually believe, simply because their longing for belonging was met first in us and then found in Him?
by Arianna Freelen 
by Kelli Bachara 
