It got me thinking. Some things never change with us girls. I’ve determined that seventh grade lives on in all of us to one degree or another. Sure, we’ve moved beyond zippered Guess jeans and permed side-ponytails, but the issues are basically the same.
I’ve also determined that there’s a difference between
fitting in and belonging. Fitting in connotes a blending in, a certain amount of conformity, being like those around you. Belonging is quite different. We belong to our families, for example, but we can be wildly different from our siblings or parents. We belong to all sorts of groups and sub-communities but it doesn’t mean we’re like everyone else there.The truth is: We may not fit in where we belong.
And if given a choice between fitting in and belonging, I’ll choose the latter.
Often wondering if I was something of a misfit, I’ve struggled to fit in. Sure, I could make friends and navigate social waters easily enough but on the inside, I felt misunderstood, different.
At 37, I’m learning a lot about how God made me, thanks to some divinely-appointed guidance along the way. I may never fit in but I don’t feel weird or sad about it; I’ve made peace with different.
Another friend who recently moved is trying to make peace with location and I wonder how many of us are in that boat with her. For 8 years I’ve lived in this area. I’m sort of an urban girl at heart, yet I can see cows from my backyard and I drive by a few Confederate flags on my way to Wal-Mart.
Maybe you feel the same way, trying to make peace with where you’ve been placed or feeling like a misfit. And if you do, I hereby give you permission to let go.
Somebody may need just the sort of different you’ll bring to the table.