We belong to God.

We belong. It’s the most core psychological need we have according to Maslov. Fatigue makes us forget sometimes that we belong to God. That we give Him delight when we make ourselves still and let Him sing His song in our heart.

The title of this post — Belong. Be Song. Be Still. — kept repeating themselves within my mind as I awoke from a nap. Perhaps their insistent drumming on my subconscious caused my awakening. Who knows?

Exhausted from months of birthing a book and watching grandchildren as our son’s family moved out-of-state and our daughter resumed training teachers after the birth of her second son, I had come under persistent attack from the enemy of all that is holy. My spirit was spent, my body screamed for sleep. I’d expected to nap most of the afternoon.

Belong. Be song. Be still. They had a strong, rhythmic beat, but were a strange combination of words. Why were they pressing on me?

Be Strong. Be Holy.

These last two — Be strong. Be holy.  — sneaked in as I wrote the first five words. Without effort, without thinking, grace seemed to be giving me a pentagram of armor as protection from future assaults from the evil one.

I don’t like writing or thinking about the legions who follow the fallen angel who’s full of pride and deceit. I don’t know anyone who does. From time to time, however, I’ve wondered if that doesn’t play a trump card into Lucifer’s hand. If I avoid thinking or writing about him, why do I do so? Fear is my usual answer. And yet, I know our Lord Jesus Christ instructed us not to be afraid hundreds of times in the Word of the Bible, probably thousands of time to His apostles. To choose fear goes against Jesus’ instruction. His gift to us is love and peace.

“Peace I leave you,” He clearly said. What am I doing choosing fear over His peace? Being a silly goose, a blustery Peter, an easy target for evil to pick, that’s what. I’m drawn to birds and babies because they remind me to keep to a simple trust, to sing the song in my heart, and to be happy.

 

At all times, we have a choice. It may not always feel so, but it’s true. God made us with free will to choose Him or not, to choose Love or not.

We choose to surrender to His will, or stick to what we prefer, what we can control. It was a bold move, giving us that choice. It was His only choice. True love isn’t love if it’s forced or constrained. He created us out of love. He gave us free will out of love. When we come to Him with our free will — where we belong — what sweet joy that must give Him. What joy leaps into song. How still our heart becomes when it feels Him draw us close.

Prayer

Our pastor always ends every daily Mass with the Memorare, a beautiful prayer asking Jesus’ mother, our mother in heaven, to pray for us. Then he adds this one to the greatest archangel of all.

St. Michael the archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray. And do Thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts, BY THE POWER OF GOD, cast into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen

For a delightful story about how St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta used the Memorare prayer, click here.

Photo by dobak