Will There Be a Place for Me? - Lisa Solnik
Maybe it’s common for parents, but sometimes as a mom I find myself thinking in quotations from children’s books. One line in particular that often runs through my head comes from a story called Chicka-Chicka 1-2-3. It’s about poor little number Zero, who can’t find his place on the Number Tree. All the other numbers from 1-99 have their place, but not him.
“Chicka-chicka 1-2-3, will there be a place for me?”
I think I’ve been asking the same question all my life: Where’s my place? What’s my niche? Where do I belong? I’ve found pieces of home here and there – a job, a people group, a physical house – but it’s elusive. Will I always feel like a gypsy? Like a wanderer? Lost?
Sojourners in the World
There’s an old American folk/gospel song from the 1800s entitled “The Wayfaring Stranger” that perfectly captures this sense of yearning. It’s been covered by Burl Ives, Johnny Cash, and many others including, more recently, Ed Sheeran. Here are some of the lyrics:
I'm just a poor wayfaring stranger
Traveling through this world below
There's no sickness, no toil or danger
In that bright land to which I go
I'm going there to see my father
And all my loved ones, who've gone on
I'm just going over Jordan
I'm just going over home
As Christians, we know that this world is not our permanent home. Before Jesus died, He prayed for His disciples concerning this very matter:
I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name – the name you gave me – so that they may be one as we are one. John 17:11 NIV
When Jesus prays for the Father to protect his disciples who don’t belong in the world, he prays for His disciples to be unified as “one.” And a few verses later, he prays the same for future believers:
My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. John 17:20-21a NIV
Joining together with other believers is a key to our survival in a world that is not our home. It is also crucial to the success of the mission on which we have been sent:
May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. John 17:23b NIV
When the world is inhospitable, as it undoubtedly will be, we are to make ourselves at home with each other.
Fitting in
Being “one” with other believers is easier said than done. I’ve often had a hard time fitting in to social groups, and the Church hasn’t been very different. I’ve held myself back out of fear of being hurt, or insecurity about who I am.
I draw encouragement from 1 Corinthians 12, where Paul refers to the Church as the “body” of Christ. The metaphor of a “body” is incredibly diverse! A quick Google search will tell you that the human body has 206 bones, 78 organs, and more than 600 muscles, all made up of about 200 different kinds of cells. Even among the same type of body part, there can be specializations. Taking teeth as an example, some are designed to cut food, some are for grinding, and some are meant to guide food towards the grinding teeth.
Speaking of the Church as a body, Paul includes a discussion of spiritual gifts, giving examples of how different people may fit within the body and help it to function. The “manifestation of the Spirit” is given “to each one” in a variety of different ways – whether it be through wisdom, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, tongues, and so on (1 Corinthians 12:4-11).
Just as Paul didn’t list every body part that we have, this isn’t an exhaustive list of every gift from the Spirit. Rather, his general purpose was to show us the importance of inclusiveness, and, again – unity.
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 NIV
So, even if you don’t see yourself as fitting neatly within Paul’s list, don’t despair. The message is clear: You are needed. You are wanted.
The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ 1 Corinthians 12:21 NIV
Finding Home for Now
I long, as you probably do, and as the old gospel song cries out, for that “bright land” where I’ll “see my Father.” But in the meantime, we’re here for a purpose. There are other people who need Him. And God has positioned us within the body, whoever we are, to “live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28) in the unique way that only we can.
As I continue to search for my place within the Church, I have found that small steps add up over time. Showing up, not only to Sunday Services but also to small groups and other events, puts names to faces and allows strangers to become friends. Volunteering here and there helps others get to know me and cultivates a genuine love in my heart for the people I’m serving. Talking to one or two unfamiliar people each week widens my circle and hopefully, brightens their day as well. I may not know yet with clarity which body part I am, but it’s a journey of discovery that is slowly unfolding with time, persistence, and obedience.
Even poor little number zero found his place by the end of the book. He joined with number “10” to form “100” and took a seat at the top of the number tree. Just as Jesus prayed, and just as Paul described, it’s through connection to others that his purpose was finally found.
May the same be true for each of us!
