No matter our age or life circumstances, we can feel left out of things sometimes; work, home, school, socially. Is this you? We can feel a bit ostracised, a bit on the margins of life; or just on the wrong side of the social divide. Often this is not deliberate, but is just the way things roll out. Others are not always considerate; and really why should they? We are not victims, and we are not special. But still, some groups of people turn out to be different to what we’d hoped, sometimes other people already have established fiends, or perhaps the others are unpleasant, or perhaps we are a but different and we’re not easily integrated. Regardless of the cause, regardless of our age and stage in life; we can feel we are on the social margins.
Most good religious traditions turn this on it's head. It is the marginalised, the honest and the authentic who the holy scriptures say are often the most accepted in the kingdom of God. Within the scriptures there are stories where we hear an active rejection of those who constitute the ‘in’ crowd. They rely on their status, authority or inheritance for a place of significance. While society may accomodate them, God doesn't.
The good news is that if you’re ever feeling a bit left out, or if your confidence is a bit low, or if life is a bit difficult - God loves you, so long as you’re honest and are having a go. It is a simple idea but if we can actually perceive this with some degree of integrity, then we may feel a lot more comfortable simply being ourselves. We can rest and be at peace. That’s not a bad days work.
It could be symbolised with the Dunlopillo, Australia’s best pillow. It wont change the world, but it gives you a nice comfortable place to lay your head at night, and you can wake up ready to take on a new day tomorrow.
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