REFLECTION:

“You belong here.”

I’ve seen that slogan at different schools here in Hawai‘i. At first glance, it sounds beautiful — welcoming, inviting — especially for someone who is searching for a place to feel accepted. Those three words can calm anxiety. They can soften fear. They can make someone feel seen.

But I’ve often wondered: do we really follow through with that tagline?

Because sometimes “you belong here” works well on brochures and websites. It helps with enrollment. It sounds inclusive. But then one false move, one mistake, one disagreement — and the tone subtly changes.

“Maybe you’re not one of us.”  “You don’t really know us.”  “We know better than you.” “This is how we’ve always done it.”

Belonging in our world can become conditional. It can depend on performance, agreement, familiarity, or status. The welcome feels real — until it doesn’t. That is why the words in Deuteronomy 26:18 are so powerful. God tells His people, just before they enter the Promised Land: “You are to be a people peculiarly His own, as He promised you.” Other translations say “His treasured possession.”

Notice the difference. God’s belonging is not marketing language. It is covenant language. It is promise language. It is identity language. He does not say: You belong as long as you perform. He does not say: You belong as long as you never fail. He does not say: You belong if you graduated from the same school as us.  You belong if you agree with everything perfectly. He says: You are Mine.

The word “peculiar” does not mean strange. It means distinct. Set apart. Personally claimed. Before Israel achieves anything, before they conquer anything, before they build anything — God anchors their identity. You belong to Me. And that changes everything. When you know you belong to God, obedience is no longer about earning a spot. It becomes a response to love. You live differently not because you fear being excluded, but because you are already claimed.

The world often gives fragile belonging:
You belong if you succeed.
You belong if you fit in.
You belong if you don’t rock the boat.

But God gives covenant belonging:
You belong because I chose you.
You belong because I promised.
You belong because you are My treasured possession.

Yes, Moses calls the people to love the Lord with all their heart and soul. Yes, obedience matters. But obedience flows from identity — not the other way around.

We are not holy in order to become His. We strive for holiness because we already are His.

In a world that can quickly shift from “You belong here” to “Maybe you’re not one of us,” God’s voice remains steady and unchanging: You are a people peculiarly My own. And when you truly believe that, you stop trying to earn belonging — and you start living from it.