Terry and I have a saying we tell each other. “I love you and I’m so glad you’re mine.” One afternoon I was just really feeling beat. Exhausted. I did three miles that day on the elliptical when I had planned to do five. I just wasn’t feeling it. I was hot, sweaty, tired, and a little disappointed in myself. When I came out of the garage from working out, Terry was standing there and held open his arms for a hug. I said, “I’m really sweaty and gross.” He said, “I don’t care.” He held me for a minute then kissed me and said, “I love you. And I am so glad you’re mine.”
Suddenly, I wasn’t as disappointed in myself for not getting the five miles I wanted that day. For a moment, I looked at myself the way Terry looked at me.
“I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.” - Song of Solomon 6:3 (NIV)
I love the New Living Translation of Song of Solomon 6:3: “I am my lover’s and my lover is mine.”
I can be sweaty, cranky, exhausted, happy, sad, giggly, emotional, mad as a hornet, anxious. I can be in my pajamas or in a cocktail dress and heels … and Terry calls me his. When I look at myself through his eyes, I like myself even more.
Now think of the way Papa looks at us. We come to Him, broken, messy, guilt ridden. We come to Him with a ton of baggage, and He just says, “Lay it all down,” and opens His arms for us. Then we argue and say, “But You know what I’ve done. How could You possibly let me into Your presence with open arms?”
But He does. Each and every time we go to Him, God welcomes us into His presence with wide open arms. He only sees us as His. The enemy puts labels on us. God just uses our names.
Wouldn’t it be so great if we looked at ourselves the way Papa looks at us, all of the time?
“But now, this is what the Lord says - he who created you, O Jacob, for he formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” - Isaiah 43:1 (NIV)
I love being Terry’s wife. And I love him being my husband. I am his. He is mine. Above belonging to each other, we both belong to God.
So do you.
God told us, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”
Oh friend. Don’t you know? We are so loved. No matter what, we are so loved. We have been redeemed. We have been called by name. We are His. Don’t let the enemy tell you who you are. Let God tell you whose you are.
You are His.