Henri Nouwen - Being the Beloved

[Being the Beloved]

We are the beloved sons and daughters of God. We are to claim the fact and live our lives based on that knowledge. But we easily fail to embrace this truth about who we are.

We have a very tiny, brief life that goes by fast. The question for us is, who are we? Because that's the question that keeps us going.

"Who Am I?"

1. I am what I do.

- Do good things, have success, feel good about yourself. 'I did something good.'

2. I am what other people say about me.

3. I am what I have.

- family, education, health, wealth.

A lot of our energy goes into these 3 answers. Then our life constantly goes zigzag. Our mental energy goes to stay on the high line. That's called "surviving".

But we know we all face death at the end of our short lives. So this whole thing is wrong--that does not define who we are. If we don't know who we really are, we enter into relationships of destruction.

"You are the beloved child, you are my beloved son (daughter). You, my favoritest." 

Jesus heard this voice when he was tempted by Satan. We also need to cling to this truth. That voice defines who we really are.

We need to hear the voice echoing through the whole eternity, then our life will become that of beloved, because that's who we are.

We will still have praises, criticisms, gains and losses, but we no longer live as those searching for their identity. We will live through all the hardships as those who know who they are.

"The voice of first love"

Love one another as Christ as loved you. - John

Love and wounds are never separate. 

We can only love freely with the glimpse of the first love we received.

Only God's love can satisfy, all the other loves are partial.

Don't let the pain coming from other loves make us bitter.

[Becoming the Beloved]

Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it.

These four words summarize the life of Jesus. He's the man taken by God, blessed by God, broken on the cross and given to the world.

These words also need to summarize our lives as well. Our lives need to be taken, blessed, broken, and given.

1. I am taken (chosen) by God. God has seen through all eternity that we are special and unique in His eyes. There's no one else exactly like us. And we all have unique roles to play in God's story. If we believe we are chosen, God gives us the eyes to see the chosenness of others.

2. I am blessed. We are called to claim the blessing and to bless other people.

3. I am broken, however. Our brokenness has a lot to do with relationships. (1) Have the courage to embrace your brokenness, not to deny it. Claim your unique pain. That's what Jesus mean by taking up your cross. (2) Dare to put the brokenness under the blessing that says that you're good, that you are beloved. 

4. I am given. In the end, we are taken, blessed, and broken to be given to the world. Jesus doesn't call us to be successful, but to be fruitful.

Then the world will recognize Jesus in us.

Every time we need to ask ourselves, "Where was I taken/blessed/broken/given again?"

[Disciples of the Beloved]

Be good listeners to the voice that calls us the beloved. That's what obedience is about.

Can we move from life of absurdity to life of obedience?

Believe in the conviction and push on, then your life will be different.

Jesus was in the communion with God all night praying. He had a community of disciples. He also went out with his community, spoke words of healing and cared for those who are poor (ministry). 

These three words are the disciplines to discover the voice that calls us the beloved.

Discipline is the human effort to create an open space where you can hear the voice speaking to you.

Humans have fear for emptiness. But we ought not to be afraid of leaving space for God, and being empty.

1. "Communion"

- Take effort to read the Bible, look into that picture and be with God alone so that He can tell me who we are. 

2. "Community"

- Listening together to the voice of God. We often form our marriage and friendship based on our loneliness. But that leads to over-possessiveness or separation. But if we are in true communion with God, we are alone but not lonely. Two people who are like this should come together. Leaving each other the room for God, others, and children. Recognizing the voice of love together.

3. "Ministry"

- Community is not where we just get together and live by ourselves. Jesus calls us to go out and share the love. Blessing is located in the poor, not in those who are helping out the poor. You and I are called to minister, reach into the hearts of the poor and eventually reach closer to the heart of God. Fellowship of the weak where power of God can manifest.

So give God some space by forming communion with Him, forming community around Him, and ministering to the poor with the love of Him. And trust that God wants us to claim the fact that we are the beloved of God.

http://youtu.be/SFWfYpd0F18