Guest Post + Giveaway: The Heart of Belonging by Pepper D. Basham, author of Just the Way You Are

May 23, 2017

Belonging. What does that mean? I think in each of us, there's this innate desire to "belong". Be it in school or at work or even at home or amongst friends, our heart wants to belong somewhere. I'm thrilled to have one very very talented author friend here today to chat about "The Heart of Belonging". Please welcome, Pepper D. Basham!

The Heart of Belonging

In Appalachia, immediate family means somethin’ a whole lot different than mom, dad, and siblings.☺When we talk about our ‘families’, we usually mean uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents, and occasionally a few extras thrown in as engrafted in for good measure. Maybe some of you know what I’m talking about.

I grew up in a family my granny would affectionately call a ‘herd’ or a ‘gang’, which meant you had a whole host of people involved in your life…for the good, the bad, and the crazy. I got tons of advice, loads of ‘guidance’, a great deal of teasing, and a whole lot of love. Within this wild and unique group of individuals I called ‘family’, I felt an undeniable sense of belonging.

I think that’s why so many of my books include this theme in them in some way or other.

It’s a truth universally sought after…to belong.

Whether we’re that middle-schooler longing to be a part of a certain group, the orphan craving a home, the single seeking a spouse, the loner yearning for a community, and all sorts of other variants in between, our hearts desire that cozy corner of being loved just as we are.

Why is that so important?

Even from before time began, God showed the importance of belonging in his very person – the mindboggling existence of the Trinity. God is in a constant state of fellowship and community as the Father, Son, and Spirit – so if He finds such pleasure and importance in it, why would WE?

Remember in the creation story! What was the ONE thing God said was ‘not good’? Adam being alone. So God, in his great love, created Eve so that together, with God, they would create a beautiful and perfect fellowship of belonging.

What does this belonging provide?

At the heart, it provides a safe-haven where you’re loved in the middle of all your messy brokenness. Who doesn’t want to know they have a place to go when life cracks, shatters, or explodes? Right?

What’s the old 1980s Cheers theme song? (My dad used to LOVE watching that show)

Sometimes you want to go

Where everybody knows your name,

And they’re always glad you came;

You want to be where you can see,

Our troubles are all the same;

You want to be where everybody knows your name.

At the heart of this song (and even the television sitcom) there was a longing for belonging. ☺

We have that, you know? God, in his infinite love, provides the ultimate belonging through His love, but because He ALWAYS does more than we expect, he gives us opportunities to ‘belong’ with others in our lives too. Knowing we’re His first, is the primary belonging

“Our heart is restless until it rests in you.” Augustine of Hippo stated about our relationship with God

But God’s shadow is often shown in our human relationships of ‘belonging’…and we usually find more than one community of belonging too.

There are places like our families, our churches, friends from school, friends from work. I’ve found a particular community among writers and readers.

In my contemporary romance novels, in particular, I love bringing out this theme. Belonging. Being loved in the middle of your mess.

I enjoy showing a community of people who want to usher in the straggler or hungry heart, because we were MADE to community. We were created to belong.

What about you? Have you read a story you enjoyed that showed the theme of belonging?

About Pepper Basham

Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes novels inspired by her love for history and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Her Penned in Time series has garnered recognition in the Inspys, Grace Awards, and the ACFW Carol Awards. Her contemporary romance novel, A Twist of Faith, received 4-stars from Romantic Times, and most recently, her newest release, The Thorn Healer, received a Top Pick from RT with 4 ½ stars.

TO CONNECT WITH PEPPER: website │ blog│ facebook │ instagram

About Just the Way You Are

Title: Just The Way You Are

Series: Pleasant Gap Romance, Book 1

Author: Pepper D. Basham

Publisher: CreateSpace

Release Date: April 6, 2017

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Single mom, Eisley Barrett, prefers to keep romance safely housed within a centuries-old mystery, but when she travels to England to unearth the secret, an actor with a sordid past offers her reluctant heart a very different type of discovery.

Wes Harrison has a past he’s ashamed to confess. Suspicious and cynical, he’s managed to avoid romantic entanglements since a tragedy upended his career and life, that is until American Eisley Barrett comes along. Her authenticity and kindness upend his bitter assumptions and send his heart into unscripted territory.

When his past threatens to ruin a second chance at love, can some Appalachian matchmaking and letters from the grave salvage their unexpected romance?

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