You Already Belong
We all long to belong—not only to fit in, but to be wanted, chosen, and known.
For many of us, that kind of belonging felt out of reach. Shaped by our parents or others doing their best while carrying pain of their own. We learned to read the room, to hustle for love, to be whatever someone else needed. Somewhere along the way, we began to believe we had to earn love. Being seen as worthy was something we had to prove.
But even when we know better in our heads, it can take a while for the truth to reach our hearts.
I’ve been a Christian most of my life. I knew that true love and forgiveness were found in Jesus alone. I knew He saved me—and I was thankful. But I still walked around believing I had to keep performing for the people around me to be enough. I lived like someone who’d been rescued, but not yet claimed.
Everything changed when I began to believe the gospel was personal. Jesus didn’t only save me—He claimed me.
He didn’t only forgive my sins—He invited me into His royal family.
Thinking about my daughter Ana. She didn’t have to earn her place in our home. She was ours—from the beginning. And because she was ours, she had access to our love, our help, our comfort. When she cried, we came running. She belonged.
That’s what it’s like with God. When we come to know Him not only as Creator or Savior—but as Father—everything shifts.
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1, NIV).
True worth is found in the One who is worthy. When we choose Christ as our Lord and Savior, we inherit the worth and value of the One who created us.
Friend, you don’t have to hustle for your worth. You don’t have to edit yourself down for love. You’ve been created in the image of God—and through Christ, you are known, loved, and forever chosen.
And here’s the beautiful thing: when you live like you belong, you create space for others to belong too. You’re no longer drained by comparison, striving, or needing approval. There is capacity in you now—to lift others, to notice them, to celebrate them—because you’re not grasping for worth. You’re living from it.
That is the love we get to live from. That is the love we’re called to give.
Live like you belong—because in God’s family, you already do.
We had the joy of writing this for The Love Offering Guest Blog Series with Rachael K. Adams. So grateful for the chance to collaborate! You can read more from her here: rachaelkadams.com/you-already-belong-by-lori-prust
