Abraham Maslow, in 1943, published his work, “A Theory of Human Motivation.” In it he produced a pyramid of basic human needs. It has come to be known as “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.” He wanted to see what truly motivated people and what made them who they are. These needs were drawn from the study of what he called “exemplary people.” This group included the healthiest 1% of the college population and Albert Einstein, Jane Addams, Eleanor Roosevelt and Frederick Douglass (all of whom were very extraordinary people). At the very heart of the pyramid is the need for “love and belongingness,” that is, the need to be a part of something bigger. Listed there are these two words, “friendship” and “family.” What does that tell us? It tells us that science knows that God has hard-wired us with the need to belong. God created the family and the church as a source to fulfill that need.
With this in mind, read Ephesians 2:19, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens (not belonging), but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household (belonging).” In this chapter Paul speaks of the love of the Father and how, “in Christ Jesus, you who formerly were far off (not belonging) have been brought near (belonging) by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13). In this chapter, we see how we once did not belong, had no part with God, but now we are part of His family. God both programed us to belong and provided a source for that need.
Nobody’s family is perfect; we all struggle to do the best we can. Some of us are the only ones in our families that believe and that is a struggle. Our biological families can and should be our source for a sense of belonging, and we should do all we can to make that a reality. Then the question is, what happens when they are not? What we need to understand is that the church, the family of God, should also be that source. What would happen if we all put the “one another” passages into practice? If we truly treated one another as brothers and sisters (1 Tim. 5:1-2)? If when we asked, “how are you doing,” we genuinely meant it (Phil. 2:3-4)? We would, in essence, simply be fulfilling the intent of the Father, and we would be bringing to fruition what He intended.
So the challenge is to broaden our scope of the word “family.” It no longer includes “me and mine” only, but those who call God, “Abba, Father” (Rom. 8:15) and have been washed in the blood of His Son (1 Cor. 6:11; Rev. 7:14). We can create this environment at Palm Beach Lakes, but it will only happen if we make the choice to include God’s group of extraordinary people (1 Pet. 2:9) in our definition of “family.”