Worthy of Love and Belonging
by Jana Peterson
A series in which I write about some of my favorite quotes
I read Brené Brown’s book, The Gifts of Imperfection, in 2018, eight years after it was published, eight years after my own journey toward living with wholeness had begun in earnest. In chapter two, Brené gave me words to name what I had intuitively known to be true, that “love and belonging are essential to the human experience.”[1] According to her research, those who feel a deep sense of love and belonging also have an unrelenting belief in their worthiness. I encourage you, dear reader, to linger in this book and this chapter to take in all of what Brené has to share. Suffice it to say, I was floored as I continued reading. Brené asserts that what lies at the heart of wholehearted living is this deep sense of worthiness: “Worthy now. Not if. Not when. We are worthy of love and belonging now. Right this minute. As is” (emphasis Brené’s).[2]
Considering Brené’s definition of worthiness invited me to think about the things I have learned in my life about sin and salvation as well as the things I build in my garage. I love to build things for my home out of reclaimed wood — the more warped and weather-beaten the better! The reclaimed wood I bring home to my garage is worthy of belonging, not only in my garage, but also in my home. Even as sits in the junk pile discarded and waiting to be taken to the landfill, I can’t wait to bring that very wood into my home. Even then, it is very good.
When I read The Gifts of Imperfection, I hear Brené’s description of worthiness as an image of what Jesus affirms about all of humanity in the incarnation. By becoming human and living in our world, Jesus’ incarnate life radically declares that we are absolutely worthy of love and belonging no matter what. There is a place for all of us to belong in the Kingdom of Heaven right now! The shame-busting implications of this is huge!
[1] Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are (Center City MN: Hazelden Publishing, 2010), 23.
[2] Ibid., 24.