beloved.

"God created us for union with Himself: This is the original purpose of our lives. And God is defined as love (1 John 4:16). Living in awareness of our belovedness is the axis around which the Christian life revolves. Being the beloved is our identity, the core of our existence. It is not merely a lofty thought, an inspiring idea, or one name among many. It is the name by which God knows us and the way He relates to us...The indispensable condition for developing and maintaining the awareness of our belovedness is time alone with God. In solitude we tune out the nay-saying whispers of our worthlessness and sink down into the mystery of our true self. Our longing to know who we really are- will never be satisfied until we confront our solitude. There we discover that the truth of our belovedness is really true. Our identity rests in God's relentless tendereness for us revealed in Jesus." -Brennan Manning





"Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name, you are mine. You are precious in my eyes, because you are honored and I love you...the mountains may depart, the hills may be shaken, but my love for you will never leave you, and my covenant of peace with you will never be shaken." (Isaiah 43:1, 4, 54:10)