First Baptist Church of Herndon

Help Others Belong

Linda Soller | Sep 24, 2018

The trick to helping others find a sense of belonging is to honor who they are, not try to make them conform to who you are. Maybe that seems contradictory to you. “Doesn’t belonging mean people who are the same joining together?” Well, sometimes, but it can be that people are connected through a common goal or interest while having very different approaches or perspectives. 

We have a knitting group (YYS = Yarn Yarn Sisterhood) that meets at our church. It’s a community group so you don’t have to be a member of FBC Herndon to belong. Why you don’t even have to knit. How can that be? Over time we’ve learned some folks like to crochet more than knit, and others who like one or both of those crafts also like quilting, and so on. We even had a person at our last open house who brought in “chicken scratch” for show and tell. What we share is a common interest in the fiber arts. We like gathering to work on our projects together, sharing ideas, admiring creativity, and even learning a new craft. We like using our crafts to help others. The people who gather belong together because we appreciate what each person brings to the group. I don’t know that we would all be friends if we met under different circumstance, but we met through YYS and the rest is history.

If you want to help others belong you must begin by letting them be themselves. Once you do that your group, or activity, or church becomes part of something bigger. When you help others belong you send a message of understanding. You are saying we can both belong despite our differences.

Have a great week!  :o) Linda

Note: To see what “Chicken Scratch” is just visit the Yarn Yarn Sisterhood of Herndon facebook page. Why not follow up and enjoy seeing what others do. You are welcome to belong if only as an observer.