Chapel Blog
Watch Your Back
Imagine working all summer to earn a spot in a group. Maybe it’s a job, a competitive team, or even just a tight-knit circle of friends. You’ve made smart, strategic moves. You’ve prepared. You feel ready for the challenge. Then come two grueling days—an intense, high-pressure experience clearly designed to test and eliminate those who don’t measure up. But you push through.
You give it everything you have. Finally, someone with authority pulls you aside and says the words you’ve been hoping to hear: “You’re in.” Your heart leaps. You did it. Relief and excitement flood in as you begin to imagine the benefits, the camaraderie, the recognition that comes with being accepted. But then, just as you’re settling into this moment of triumph, a seasoned member of the group sits down beside you. They glance around, lean in, and say quietly, “Hey, congrats on getting in… but just a heads up—watch your back.”
You give it everything you have. Finally, someone with authority pulls you aside and says the words you’ve been hoping to hear: “You’re in.” Your heart leaps. You did it. Relief and excitement flood in as you begin to imagine the benefits, the camaraderie, the recognition that comes with being accepted. But then, just as you’re settling into this moment of triumph, a seasoned member of the group sits down beside you. They glance around, lean in, and say quietly, “Hey, congrats on getting in… but just a heads up—watch your back.”
Then they walk away, offering no explanation. The thrill of success suddenly gives way to a knot of unease. What should have been a moment of celebration now feels complicated, uncertain—maybe even threatening. Sometimes, acceptance into a group isn’t the end of striving—it’s the beginning of something harder: navigating the tension between belonging and self-preservation. We can’t know others’ motives and are left to do the best we can.
The Bible story about Cain and Abel in Genesis 4, where Cain ultimately murders his brother in cold blood, serves as a warning to us to be careful placing trust in others, even those close to us. What is the answer to this tension? Certainly, true belonging comes with open arms, mutual respect, and the safety to be fully known without fear, but can this truly happen in our human relationships? The answer the Bible gives is to love and trust God who is good and trustworthy but to simply love others. Jesus even commands that we love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. It’s a difficult truth but this is God’s plan for blessing our relationships.
Westminster Christian School, located in Palmetto Bay, Florida, is a private, college-preparatory school for children from preschool through twelfth grade.