Living in an area often affected by hurricanes, it is always interesting to see which trees were uprooted by the gale winds.  You would think it would be the trees with minimal roots but sometimes the trees with deep, outreaching roots are still lifted out of the ground and destroyed.  Roots are not a guarantee that life will not be tossed and turned!

As I reflect on what keeps me rooted in God’s belovedness I realize that the spiritual practices that help me are always evolving.  I think it is so important to recognize what is working and what to let go of.  And as much as I would love to think that once I claim being God’s beloved that I am all set, I also know that this is an ongoing journey.

Here are three things that are speaking truth to me right now:

My soul is filled by reading – good fiction, the Gospel, liturgy and spiritual writers.  One of the anchors that keeps me centered as the beloved is to find those spiritual writers who speak that truth into my soul.  Right now, it is writers like Sarah Bessey, Kate Bowler, Nadia Bolz-Weber and Emily P. Freeman.  I have such gratitude for their vulnerability and wisdom.

“The world tries to dim our eyes, and quiet our song, but the truth of who you are is found in the eyes of God, not the eyes of the world.  The truth of who you are is found in the love of your God  – the God who created this world and called it Good…Only the God who knows and loves you fully can tell you who you are. And who you are is loved and worthy to be loved.”  Nadia Bolz-Weber

Secondly, I meet weekly with a group of three other friends who are also on a journey of discovering their worthiness and belovedness.  We are honest and vulnerable with each other.  They are very willing to speak truth to me – including reminding me of my belovedness when I express doubt.

And finally, when this cruel world tells me that I am not worthy or beloved, one thing I do is to pause, speak a breath prayer, and place my hand on my forehead and remind myself that God has claimed ME as His beloved.

What happens when you lose sight of whose and who you are? 

I recognize when I have lost sight of my belovedness when I am angry at the world, angry at those who normally don’t make me angry, angry at those who are trying to love me. That’s when I know I need to pull back, look within, and be reminded again and again that I am so loved by God and by so many others.