Our lives are full of messages that communicate something about who we are, what we need, how we can do better, where we fall short and why we don’t belong. After all, if advertising can persuade you there is something that will make your life more enjoyable, better than it is right now without that thing, then maybe you will buy it and help someone else make money.
If people find a way to put you down, criticizing anything from your beliefs to your parenting to your appearance, maybe they will feel better about themselves. If you belong to a particularly vulnerable group, (immigrants, ethnic or religious minorities, the LGBTQ community, those on public assistance) even politicians target you in order to appease their base and affirm those who are already largely privileged and powerful.
How do you know who you are? When you feel uncertain, diminished, undervalued, shut out, even broken, where or to whom do you turn to be built back up, embraced, put back together?

Friends fill this role for many of us, listening to our frustrations, joining our complaints, telling us we are loved and appreciated. Thank goodness for friends like this. Yet many of our friends are probably rather like ourselves, and may not be able to offer perspective or challenge and help us grow in a new way.
A physical rush can boost our mood for a while — an adventurous experience, the use of substances, relational intimacy, but these are temporary escapes and before long we must face our brokenness.
Gathering with a community of faith can be a significant part of remembering who we are, being put back together when we are broken, finding belonging and discovering the strength and encouragement to be our best selves. If you have spent time away from a faith community, could you and your family benefit from gathering with others to remember you are loved and valued, even if not perfect? Find one and give it a try.
At Page Community United Methodist Church, we gather to be put back together, to gain perspective, hope, and community, to remember who we are. We strive to be honest about who we are and what we’ve done, confessing our wrongs and accepting forgiveness, while also celebrating that we are loved by God and one another. We don’t press people on whether they are in or out based on our preferences or even our doctrine — God loves you apart from any of this, and you are welcome and valued as you are.
If you make the effort to be there, to see what you can find for yourself and offer to others, we trust that God will find you.
Come find out for yourself or visit a faith community that seems a good fit for you. And remember, you are loved. No matter what the world tells you.