I was in my local gym the other day and in my exhaustion between sets I was looking around the gym and the signage on the walls.
‘JUDGEMENT FREE ZONE’
‘YOU BELONG’
‘WELCOME’
I couldn’t help but think about these messages, and as a patron how much I felt welcomed and a belonging to this place even if I didn’t know anyone else who was working out around me. I also thought about these messages that I have also seen and heard, but in a completely different place–Church!
Sometimes I wonder if those around me feel these messages when they are at church and if I am contributing to helping them feel this way. Do I have an attitude of LOVE, as modeled by Christ, for others around me? Am I helping someone feel like ‘they belong?’
God calls us to action, to have humble hearts and love one another, to posture ourselves in a position to be open to people in our community. This is not always easy, but if I can be reminded by big lit letters on my gym walls, I’d say that this is a reminder worth remembering.
