Over the weekend the Diocese of Ohio (where my husband serves) ordained and consecrated a new bishop. I attended some of the festivities over the course of the weekend, and when in conversation with others the beloved stickers/t-shirts came up I heard again and again “the word beloved means something special to me.”
Which led me to wonder…
What does beloved mean to you?
If you saw my Instagram post this morning, you'll see that my husband and I share a notebook that we trade back and forth instead of getting each other cards for holidays. And on the cover is a beloved sticker. I have another on my computer, and another on my water bottle.
The sticker reminds me of a lot of things when I see it—
that God calls me beloved,
that we all belong to each other as siblings,
that especially those who have been marginalized are loved and I
should go take a few extra steps to communicate that,
that any love I have for another is infused with God's transforming
love.
Maybe that's a lot to ask of a simple word, but I've also heard the stories of how much it means when a person who doesn't feel beloved—especially by God—hears that message.
All that is to say, I can't wait to have my beloved t-shirt to keep sharing this love. I know it won't mean the same thing to everyone, but my hope is that it will spark something.
I am beloved. You are beloved. We are in this together, united by something more powerful than any of us.
