B Is For Beloved

I have come to realize that the greatest trap in our life is not success, popularity or power, but self-rejection. ~Henri Nouwen

Beloved. Have you embraced your name?

Or maybe other designations come to mind. Bruised, Bitter, Blemished. Branded by the past, befuddled by the present, barely worth a future.

The choir piece was new to me. I was tired and discouraged, not sure I wanted to be perched on this hard metal chair, fighting to stay in tune with a wobbly voice singing a half pitch flat in my ear.  I was sick of the daily battle to do it right–this life, this high bar to hurdle. Faith hidden in a haze of self-condemnation.

I looked down at my score, as the accompanist pounded out the melody.

And the Father will dance over you in joy!
He will take delight in whom He loves.
Is that a choir I hear singing the praises of God?
No, the Lord God Himself is exulting over you in song!*

I found the lyrics impossible to believe.

Many of us careen through life, bouncing from egomania (why isn’t everyone like me?) to self-loathing (why do I have to be me?) to numbed disconnection (is there any ice cream left?). Look at our bowed shoulders, our shifty, mis-trusting glance–it’s obvious. We’ve forgotten our name. Beloved.

In the words of Henri Nouwen, “Becoming the Beloved is the great spiritual journey we have to make.” Becoming what we are, versus attaining what we wish we had.

In the beginning, God created. And the pinnacle, the climax, the glorious, dazzling finish was not a snow-capped mountain range, a lush tropical island, dolphins cavorting by the shore, or cute puppies in a furry pile. When did creation move from good to very good?

“Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image…” From its opening pages the Bible unfolds a story about the irreplaceable value of you.

Beloved

I have called you by name,  from the very beginning.  You are mine and I am yours. You are my Beloved, on you my favor rests.

I have molded you in the depths of the earth and knitted you together in your mother’s womb.

I have carved you in the palms of my hands and hidden you in the shadow of my embrace.

I look at you with infinite tenderness and care for you with a care more intimate than that of a mother for her child. 

Henri Nouwen, Life of the Beloved

Read Psalm 139 and remember your name. B is for Beloved.

What are you like when you feel loved?

 

Welcome to our series, An Alphabet Adagio. We are savoring the story of the Bible, the story where we are found, alphabetically. You can subscribe to e-mail so you won’t miss a letter. Next time: C is for Companion.

 

*Mark Hayes, And the Father Will Dance  Zephaniah 3:14, 17   Psalm 34

Photograph by Melanie Hunt, Drawing by Randi Reed, 16.