It was a sunny day in Fiji as my husband Ray boated across the Somosomo Straight to check on our group of study-abroad students who were (intentionally) stranded on a beach... all part of their experience learning to trust God and learn cross-culturally from the locals. 

Ray motored the tiny boat Buckaroo across the waves, eager to see how our students were faring. Suddenly a boat of Fijian thugs on a speedboat (let’s just call them pirates), appeared around the bend and approached the Buckaroo. The air grew tense as they regarded him threateningly, trying to place him and his purpose in their waters. The leader lifted up a club.

“Are you Ray?” they demanded. 

Ray had to take a moment to decide if being Ray was good or bad in that moment. He opted for truth. 

“Yes, I’m Ray. We run a study-abroad program over at Sau Bay, on Bob’s land.” 

“I know who you are.” The captain motored away, tossing his club to the bottom of the boat and instead throwing a friendly wave over his shoulder. 

It wasn’t so much that Ray was Ray. It was that Ray knew Bob, a Fijian local whose family was known in the area. It was our “belonging” to this family that saved Ray (and the students) that day. 

In the same way, the Bible tells us that we belong to Christ. We are adopted as His children, with all the rights and privileges of sons and daughters. We truly belong to Him, and that belonging means we get to be with Him forever. We are protected and secure against all of the attacks of the enemy. 

In a world of constant changes, challenges and comparisons, our identity comes from Christ; and His identity comes from God. In Him we find protection. In Him we find hope. In Him we find home, forever. 

The storms may come, the pirates may threaten, but no one can take us away from the One we belong to.