Indications of Where You Belong

Going back to life after Covid was both a huge relief, and, if I’m honest, kind of a bummer. I liked a valid excuse to be a slouchy homebody, with no expectations of showing up to things, and having a legit out for some responsibilities. I had begun to relax, heavy on the lax.

I was also stuffing down some troubling emotions, like loneliness, isolation, and a sense of futility in the responsibilities that did still exist in a pandemic. What was it even for, anyway?

Going back to church to teach the middle school kids Sunday School class was a huge wake-up call. These sharp kids had questions, and lots of them, about the same things I was struggling with, and I needed to be on point if I wasn’t going to allow their faith to tank on my watch.

The scripture from Isaiah 61:3 says the Lord will, “provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”

My job, with these questioning faces waiting expectantly for my answers, was to be The Oak of The Lord, planted here for such a time as this. To display the splendor of the Lord, even in a time of global grief.

Um, did God have the right person for the job?

The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 12:4-5 that we each have a specific place we are fitted in, within the Body of Christ. Each part of the body has a duty, a function to perform, in order to keep the body healthy. Perhaps my sense of futility was stemming from not having been able to perform my God-appointed responsibility, and my loneliness the product of being cut off from the other members of my body.

In my time away from people, my heart was despondent in not being able to teach and exhort, my main giftings that I know are purposed for advancing the Kingdom of Heaven.

Emotions are a powerful tool to indicate that we are not functioning as intended in God’s plan for our lives and the needs of the Body. Where do you fit? What gifts are lying dormant in you, waiting for recognition? Your heart can tell you, with the emotions you are experiencing.

Shift the focus from merely experiencing these feelings, to exploring them. Exchange wondering about the futility of it all, to wondering where your contributions need to be made. Employ your sense of isolation to engage your drive to reconnect to those who need you. Not just what you can do, but who you are.

After all, those who grieve have a destiny- to be oaks of the Lord, planted for the display of His splendor.

1.      What are some emotions you have been experiencing lately?

2.      How might these feelings be used to engage you in Kingdom work?

3.      Do you feel you are fit into a place where your gifts are being expanded? Why or why not?

…and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. (Isaiah 61:3 NIV)

Heather Bise

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