Sometimes, I have this strange feeling that comes over me from out of nowhere. I can’t fully explain it other than to say it just feels like I “don’t fit in” … like I can’t find my place. I can enter a room full of people who have similar interests and backgrounds, yet I still feel “disconnected.” Don’t get me wrong. I still push through and talk to people and make conversation, but it’s an effort.
Yes, there are times when I feel like I just don’t fit in. And, when those times come, I try to examine those feelings and think about where they came from. Is it a self-esteem issue? Is it distrust in others? Is it a personal flaw, or is it some kind of self-preservation mode that I’ve entered into?
Well, I felt that feeling recently and tried to dig deep into it, to bring it into the light. As I thought about it, a couple of scriptures came to mind. Hebrews 13:14 reminds the Christian, “For here (on Earth) we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.” 1 Peter 2:11 says, “Beloved, I urge you as FOREIGNERS and STRANGERS to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul.” And, of course, we can’t forget what Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane about His followers, “They are not of this world, even as I am not of this world.” When I connect these verses to those feelings of “not fitting in” it all begins to make sense. I am a stranger and a foreigner here on Earth. It’s not my real home. I’m “in it” but not “of it.” I can’t “fit in” completely, because, if I did, I would become disconnected from my true identity … a citizen of Heaven.
Deep inside us, God’s Spirit tells the Christian’s heart, “Don’t get too comfortable here on Earth. This is not your home.” Honestly, it is a slightly uncomfortable feeling. If, like me, you’ve had those feelings of “not fitting in” just remember that one day, in the not so distant future, we will be HOME. Can you imagine the feelings of complete satisfaction and wholeness we’ll experience when we finally reach that city we’ve been longing for?
We will finally and completely FIT IN.
Hebrews 11:16
Instead, they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
