Know You Are Beloved by Rev. Chris Leeናሙና

Day 5: You Are Beloved

In my work as a priest, I have been around dying people and sat with them in their final moments. The words they utter to their family if they can — and the words of the people around them — are always the same: “I love you.” Why? Because knowing we are loved is the point of life. It’s ground zero for everything.

God wants you to know that you are loved. The Incarnation shows us that, and having a good understanding of the Incarnation will help you understand that you are loved. God became flesh to be with us. He loved, laughed, wept — and He was also beaten and killed for each one of us. The great patterns of God’s love are revealed in our world. He loves and cares for us. How do we know that? Love is action, and our God is a God who came towards us. His action teaches us who He is and who we are. God draws near.

Living in the light of the Incarnation is much deeper than simply trying to do the right thing or having the right answers. It is about accepting who we are, as revealed by Jesus Christ. He is “the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15), not the only born. We were created by God, we fell, and then we were redeemed by God through Christ and restored to our place as God’s children who followed in the footsteps of Jesus, the firstborn. We join Christ as children of the Kingdom. In this section of Scripture, Paul is trying to help us see our place as God’s beloved and then act accordingly. Jesus ushered in the Kingdom, and we are its residents. We are called to live out this Kingdom residency. Our own identity is wrapped up in God and also revealed in the Incarnation: the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Yes, suffering and brokenness and pain and rejection will also be part of your experience. Failing — and accepting your failings with repentance — is a greater part of God’s call than your success is. It is perhaps the most profound sign of your Kingdom residency: that you are loved and saved by your Creator. This truth marks your life, and living it out sets your life apart as holy. You become involved in God’s Kingdom, redeeming creation.

Yes, suffering and brokenness and pain and rejection will also be part of your experience. Failing — and accepting your failings with repentance—is a greater part of God’s call than your success is. It is perhaps the most profound sign of your Kingdom residency.

Through all of it, you are called to know this:

You are loved, and you are to love as Christ loved.

Breathe.

You are a beautiful mess.

You are His beloved.

Was this plan helpful? The content was adapted from my book Know You Are Beloved: Press Pause, Breathe Deeply, and Be Known by God. Learn more at https://revchris.org/know-you-are-beloved/