Beloved Child of God
January 30, 2024
Rev. Ally Vertigan
I will believe the truth about myself
no matter how beautiful it is:
I believe in my power
to transform indifference into love.
I believe I have an amazing gift
to keep hope alive in the face of despair.
I believe I have the remarkable skill
of deleting bitterness from my life.
I believe in my budding potential
to live with a nonviolent heart.
I believe in my passion to speak the truth
even when it isn’t popular.
I believe I have the strength of will
to be peace in a world of violence.
I believe in my miraculous capacity
for unconditional love.
I will believe the truth about myself
no matter how beautiful it is.
A few years ago, I worked on a project with a friend… and I was struggling. I told her about my sense of failure, judging myself for each mistake, apologizing for small errors. (Speaking harshly about ourselves is something several of us have learned over our lifetimes.) After a few exchanges, my friend stopped me and said, “Hey – please don’t talk about my friend Ally that way.” She invited me to speak kindly about myself, recognizing that I would never speak about a friend the way I had spoken about myself. She reminded me that God wouldn’t speak about me that way, either.
“…you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you…” Isaiah 43:4
This is the truth. Just as we are, we are beloved and treasured by God. Being in community and relationship with each other, we can remind one another of this. We can practice grace, compassion, and encouragement. Helping one another live into the fullness of who God created us to be is a great responsibility and privilege of being in spiritual community! By telling each other the truth about ourselves (God’s truth!), we strengthen our ability to notice it in ourselves as well.
You are invited to engage in repetitive, Taizé-style reflection with this musical adaptation of the poem by Velma Frye in order to connect with the truth of who you are: a beloved child of God.
