February 13, 2025 Finding Where We Belong
Thursday, February 13, 2025
Finding Where We Belong
35 James and John, Zebedee’s sons, came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”
36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
37 They said, “Allow one of us to sit on your right and the other on your left when you enter your glory.”
38 Jesus replied, “You don’t know what you’re asking!
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42 Jesus called them [his 12 disciples] over and said,
“You know that the ones who are considered the rulers by the Gentiles show off their authority over them and their high-ranking officials order them around.
43 But that’s not the way it will be with you.
Whoever wants to be great among you will be your servant.
44 Whoever wants to be first among you will be the slave of all,
45 for the Human One didn’t come to be served
but rather to serve and to give his life to liberate many people.”
Mark 10:35-45, CEV
We all look for the same basic need to be filled – a place to belong. I know I was when I graduated with my master’s in social work and scouted the organizations who looked for someone with my degree. I looked again ten years later for where I might be a better fit after feeling shelved from opportunities that went to those younger than me and with Business Administration degrees. And for the same reason I looked for where I could belong in each new community and church after we moved from one place to another.
That’s how I recognized what was happening with a social worker I supervised when she approached me, wanting favored treatment. She asked me to consistently assign her the highest profiled cases and projects. She thought her loyalty and work ethic earned such a reward and would better position her for leadership roles within the organization.
While I appreciated the young woman’s ambition, her desire – and mine at times if I’m honest – to cut in line in front of her more experienced and sometimes better qualified peers was misdirected. Her underlying insecurities pushed her to try force-fitting her place in the department, to stake her claim to where she wanted to belong.
In our passage today, John and James apparently sought the same thing – where should they fit into Jesus’ anticipated kingdom. Perhaps because they had the greatest tenure with him or because they thought of themselves as part of his inner most circle of followers, or for any number of other reasons, these Sons of Thunder approached Jesus with the request to fit into his new kingdom by sitting at his right and left hands, his anointed “next in line” in succession planning.
Jesus’ response: that decision was not his to make, but his Father’s. And God recognizes greatness not by status or positions achieved, but in servanthood. ..in humility, focused on the needs of others, communities, and the world.
Servanthood is not a strategy to get to the top or attain a personal goal. It is a way of living. It lays at the foot of the cross of Jesus all of our talents, resources, experiences. Wherever God calls, directs, or places us is where we belong.
Reflect: Have there been moments in your life when you sought recognition or status in an effort to belong? How can you reframe your ambitions to align with a heart of servanthood? What gifts or experiences can you offer in service to others today right where you are?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your grace and adoption into Your family, where I know I always belong and am loved. When I forget that truth, remind me that my worth is not found in positions or titles but in You and in serving others with humility. Give me Your peace in knowing that where I am and what I am experiencing is where I belong and bring glory to Your holy name. Amen.
By His Grace,
Gloria Ashby
Lay Leader