Beloved
We did it!
WE DID IT!
We have come to the end of this path of Beloved and once again greet each other in the large circle area with that beautiful blaze that we have come to love.
We share tears and laughter as we high-five and jump for joy as if we had just climbed the world's highest mountain. In a way, I suppose we did.
We settle down, snuggle together, and warm ourselves by the roaring fire as the reality of this being the last trail of our journey together starts to sink in.
As the fire crackles and the bright starts illuminate above us, we take our seats, take out our journals, and begin sharing and reflecting on this year and all we have unlearned and learned together as we believed and received what God said to us that revived and strengthened us.
Our stories have a different twist to them now. They are not gloom and despair; they are stories of light and redemption, and even in the pain and suffering, we can share the best parts of what God has done and what He says about us:
We are ENOUGH
We are LOVED
We are FORGIVEN
We are WANTED
We are FOUND
We are REPURPOSED
We are FREE
We are WORTHY
We are PROTECTED
We are REDEEMED
We are GRATEFUL
We are BELOVED
We are who God says we are.
God is with us, celebrating and beaming with pride and joy for His beloved ones.
We spend hours basking in all that God is and all He has done for us.
The air stills and the mood sombers as we realize we must decide what will happen next.
At this moment, we usually write down lies or things we no longer want to carry with us and burn them in the fire, symbolizing our freedom and commitment to release what God has told us is no good for us, and then write a new commitment to help us move along.
But this time, all God wants us to do is write down one word in our journal as big and boldly as possible.
The word shines so brightly on our paper as if the ink is made of light itself.
We squint our eyes to keep looking at the word and see it split off into separate words:
Be
Loved
Be
Love
Love
That is all God wants from us is to simply be loved and to be love.
We look up from our journals and notice that the paths we traveled together on our journey from the ashes are closed now.
They have disappeared, so there is no more retracing our steps, rethinking, rehashing, or revisiting.
The old is gone forever.
No turning back.
No going back.
Forward.
Onward.
The lessons we have learned will be there if we need reminders.
The truth of God's words will be there to dispel the lies.
The love of God will be with us always and forever.
So what do we do now?
We get up and go, beloved, and we follow forward.
We grasp hands, hold each other tight, and we follow God where He leads us next.
As the beloved children of God, we go.
Beloved
Be loved
Be love
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
2 Corinthians 6:18
And, I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.
Psalm 14: 4-5
Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.