1 Kings 1:10
“But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or Solomon his brother.”

We were created for community, and we all want to feel included and part of what’s happening around us. It’s a good thing to feel this way because it’s our natural human expression of our God-made longing for fellowship.

However, this natural desire can be exploited and manipulated for a wrong agenda. Because we desire to “belong” to the group, we tend to be willing to sacrifice our core beliefs for this reason. Many have done so and continue to do so.

There’s a strong magnet that pulls people into “group thinking,” and when you don’t comply with the “group ideology,” the first level of punishment will be to exclude you from the sweet fellowship of the group.

We have to confess: exclusion can be very painful. Exclusion by those you love and from those you have walked with can be even more painful. Being removed from the group you once belonged to can be unbearable.

And with exclusion comes feelings of shame, failure, rejection, and frustration. To avoid these realities, most people will give up their core values and bend to the wishes of others. Compromise is what is often required to remain loyal to the group.

However, as pilgrims, we are students of Christ, and He knew what it meant to be excluded and to walk alone. He knew who He was and why He was on earth, and did not compromise His identity or principles to be accepted by anyone.

We must not fight to be included, and we must embrace the feelings of exclusion as part of the pilgrim journey. Most groups on earth will believe in and pursue agendas that don’t align with ours, and they will exclude us for this reason.

Nathan, Benaiah, the mighty men, and Solomon were excluded from Adonijah’s coronation ceremony. Although everyone else was invited, they were put aside, and this must have been painful, but they embraced the pain to stay loyal to David.

I repeat, because of our stance, we may be excluded. Because of our stance, we may be removed from the main flow of things. Because of our stance, critical info may be hidden from us. But we must never change that stand to belong to any group.

People who make significant impact are very principled. They are not fragile emotionally. They are people who can carry the burden of aloneness for the sake of their convictions. Dear pilgrim, it’s okay to be alone and excluded if it’s for your beliefs.

@ChineduOranye
RestlessPilgrim.org