Native

Lord, you have been my dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Psalm 90:1-2

Lately, a single word has been quietly confronting me…native. When you hear or see the word native, what does it stir in you? Does it evoke an immediate sense of connection - of belonging to a particular place or people?

I recently moved back to Colorado after spending a few years in another state, and since returning, I’ve noticed something distinctive about the cars on Colorado roads. Many display a familiar bumper sticker, a green-and-white mountain backdrop with the word NATIVE boldly written across it. Each time I see it, it stirs a mix of thoughts and emotions in me. More than a declaration of geography, it prompts deeper questions within me: Where do I belong? And to whom do I belong?

As I sat in my car looking at that sticker, I started pondering the meaning of the word itself. “Native,” as defined in the Cambridge Dictionary, means “relating to or describing someone’s country or place of birth or someone who was born in a particular country.” I considered that definition, and how it doesn’t just describe geography - it touches identity - which got me thinking about Jesus. Scripture tells us that Jesus is the Son of God. He was born in Israel into the family of God through the lineage of Abraham. Jesus as God’s son sacrificed Himself on the cross to redeem those who were under the law and to make a way to God for us (Gal. 4:5), making us part of the family of God. Jesus said, No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6). Because of that, through faith in Him alone, Who declared, I am the way, the truth, and the life, being in His family gives us our place of belonging.

God Claims Us as His Own

My own questions about belonging find their answer in the promises of God. I am assured that I belong to Him and that my true home is with Him through Jesus. While Jesus is God’s son by birth, through him, we too, are considered family. As Paul concludes in Galatians 4:5, we receive “adoption as sons.” My sense of “native” is no longer rooted in geography, family name, or personal history, but in my relationship with Him. Through Christ, God claims us as His own, giving us both identity and belonging that reach far beyond any earthly label.

Reflections:

• In what ways have you searched for belonging in people, places, or labels rather than in God?

  
  

• What does it look like for you to live each day as someone who belongs to God?

  
  

• How might embracing your identity as God’s beloved child influence the way you relate to others?

In Christ's love,

Tracey