Category Archives: Prayer and Meditation

The Choice

Beloved

Thank You that I am Your beloved. That You love me. You treasure my company, care about every detail of my life. You want the very best for me.

Thank You for Your love.

Your love shines light into my soul. It illuminates my identity, my value, my belonging, my calling. It frees me to be completely myself and liberates me from false beliefs and destructive habits of thought and action that keep me from being fully myself, the person You created and love.

Thank you.

Your love settles me, and gives me peace and rest. It empowers me to do what I cannot do on my own. Your perfect love casts out all fear. You keep me safe.

Thank you.

You are love. You created it. Define it. Embody it. You protect me. Cherish me. Heal me. Refresh me. Lead me. Teach me to love others in my own unique way. You accompany me every minute of every day in my journey through life. Showing me more and more about what it means to be loved. And what it means to love.

Thank You. For being You. And encouraging me to be me.

Fully myself. Fully Your child.

Beloved.

How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 36:7

I trust in your unfailing love. Psalm 13:5

The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you. He will quiet you with His love. Zephaniah 3:17

Going Through the Motions

by Lydia Floren

Greeting cards are a part of our family’s birthday tradition. As a “good husband,” Andrew knows this. And since he is not a homemade card kind of guy, every year he faithfully buys me, and gives me, a few cards – most funny, and, at least one is serious.

One year, I was particularly touched by the sweet sentiment in the “serious” card he gave me.

“Oh, Honey! That is beautiful. Thank you!” With a tear in my eye, I glanced up at him.

He had this blank look on his face. And, I got a little suspicious.

“Did you read it?” I asked. (His signature was at the bottom, so it would seem like a natural assumption that he had.)

His expression turned sheepish.

“Really? You gave me a card, but you didn’t even read it?”

“Well I glanced at it. It looked like something you would like.”

At first I was hurt. And then, I burst out laughing.

The next year, when I opened “the mushy birthday card” not only was his signature at the bottom, but there was a little “p.s.” afterwards:

“Yes, I read it.”

How often do we glance at God’s word, but don’t take the time to really read it? Or, we say a perfunctory prayer, but our minds are wandering elsewhere? When we do, we aren’t fooling anyone but ourselves. And, we miss out. Our relationship with God is the most important relationship in the world. If we truly believe that, committing our full attention every day to a verse or two in the Bible – and listening to what He might be saying to us through it – is time well spent.

Have you been going through the motions of spending time with God? If so, don’t miss out another day. Take some time. Give Him your undivided attention. It will bless your socks off. Do it regularly, and it will change your life.

“You have the words of eternal life.” John 6:68

“For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and
the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God.” 2 Peter 3:5

“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105

Father, Thank You

Father, Thank You…

You give me identity. You made me and gifted me with all the wonderful qualities I possess. You have helped me see them and explore them. To understand them better. To cement them into a better understanding of who I am.

You give me belonging. My place to belong. With no judgment or condemnation. Just acceptance, love, arms open wide. This place/home is

– with You. Every day. Where I am, there You are as well. And where You lead me to be is where I belong at the moment. And I am safe wherever that is.

– with other true believers, including those who have gone before, (like Nouwen, C.S. Lewis, Solzhenitsyn, St. Francis, Brother Lawrence, Hannah Whitehall Smith), and those in the Bible. And those in my life right now.

– And in eternity, my forever home.

And because of this true place that I belong, I can be content in the place that I am, wherever You have led me to be that day.

You give me immeasurable value, an innate sense of true worth that has nothing to do with any accomplishment. Just with the reality of who I am – my inherent and unique spirit. You didn’t come to save me for my usefulness, but simply because I am important to you. I was worth coming for and dying for, simply for the joy of my company with You forever.

You give me a sense of significance. A unique place of service and influence in this world. You invite me into the world every day to love people, and to serve them and minister to them. To be a part of what You are doing to redeem the world, and to restore it. In Your power. By Your direction. With Your wisdom and discernment. And because it is in Your power, and by Your direction, I don’t need to fret about the details. I can just trust the process and the plan I have prayed thru with You, knowing that You will adjust and redirect me when needed.

You give me safety and provision. Protection. Safe passage wherever You lead me in life. And the understanding that You will provide everything that I need, including contentment in whatever circumstance I find myself. And the ability to face pain and walk through it. And You give me the security of knowing that You will come find me if I wander off the path, and will lead me back in the direction I need to go.

You give me guidance, and fellowship/company along the path You have set out for me, every day practical guidance in healing, in ministry, in growth, in self-care, in tending what I have been given. Even guidance in how to plan, to strategize. Guidance in the spontaneous. Guidance in how You want to work thru me to bless others.

You give me Yourself. The greatest and best gift, and the most enduring one. The ongoing joy of knowing that I am continually in Your presence/company. Continually loved/cherished. Continually wanted, and included. Continually protected. Continually supplied with everything that I need. Continually being healed, renewed, empowered, challenged, encouraged.

Father, thank You for the joy of knowing that I can trust You with my whole heart and my whole life.

But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. John 16:8

Getting Away

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Getting Away

by Lydia Floren

I remember first getting away by myself when I was a resident in Jacksonville, Florida. Medical training was pretty intense, and I found myself needing a true break. So, periodically, I would pack an overnight bag, and head to the nearby beach, where I’d rent a cheap mom-and-pop type hotel room for a night or two. Other than the usual essentials, I would take only my Bible and my journal. I’d sleep for long stretches, take walks by the ocean, praying to the sound of crashing waves. It was truly restorative.

A few years later, when I was married and mostly staying at home with little ones, I’d occasionally talk my husband into childcare duty and check into a nearby B and B. I was amazed at how different a night or two would make me feel—refreshed, renewed, settled. Resting and reconnecting with God (and myself) did that for me. My husband noticed the difference too, and started to encourage me to take some personal time, on occasion. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago he pulled me aside and asked “Hon, do you need to get away for a couple of days?”

The location and timespan of these little solo retreats has varied over the years, but some things have remained pretty constant. Rest. Solitude. Silence (including all electronics). Prayer (both talking and listening). Bible reading. Journaling.

Until recently, I’d never met anyone else who did this sort of thing. Well, Jesus did it. And while writers such as Henri Nouwen and Brennan Manning have mentioned their own such experiences in passing, I had never seen, much less read, a whole book dedicated to this topic.

Until now. My dear (and fairly new ☺) friend Tish just published a wonderful book about taking a personal retreat called Getaway with God. I met Tish at a writer’s conference (Write to Publish) a couple of years ago. I liked her immediately. Tish is a gentle, Godly woman, and her book reflects her heart. It also provides some great resources and insights into planning your own personal retreat.

Getting away with God–the Person who knows you best and loves you most. Doesn’t that sound amazing? Especially this time of year? Maybe it’s time to give yourself a gift. Mark your calendar and make your own plans for some personal rest and renewal. (And maybe pick up a copy of Getaway With God while you are at it.)

Best. Christmas present. Ever.

PS. For the chance for a free signed copy of Tish’s book, just respond to this post on the blog Belovedlove.org/reflections, message or post on our Facebook page @ Belovedlove, or on Twitter @bebelovedlove!

p.s. I took the above picture at my friend’s Northwoods cabin. The one below is from another friend’s low-country retreat in South Carolina.

Circling Back

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Circling Back

by Lydia Floren

God loves me—personally, and intimately.

I feel like God has taught me a lot over the years, but it all seems to circle back to the fact that He loves me. Me, personally. Not me as a part of the universal blob known as Humanity, though He does love every person He created. He loves me–individually, personally, intimately.

I can feel like such a stranger to that love.

I am so frustrated that after all this time of reading and writing on God’s love, I can feel like such a stranger to that love. I don’t know what the barrier is, but I want to break through it and let that love stream into my heart and soul. It has before. What is hindering it now?

I have drifted.

I think it is what it always is. I have drifted. My focus has drifted away from God somehow. I get caught up in what I am doing, the project I am working on, the plans I have made. Or I get distracted by obstacles, or fears, or hurts. I don’t stay focused–in my mind and heart–on Him.

He knows this happens.

He knows this happens. Maybe even expects it. Yet He isn’t angry, or impatient, or annoyed. He is just waiting. He is waiting by the well of His living water—His love. He is waiting for me to come back and drink deeply, and resume our conversation. He is waiting for me to recognize my fear as the sign it is—a lack of focus on Him—and to return. And focus.

Circling Back

When I do return—and I do, because once I have tasted the joy of being loved, I don’t want to be without it–He doesn’t want me to fill up my canteen and take off again. He wants me to wait: to wait with Him, and to wait for Him. To wait with Him as He heals a wound or rectifies a false belief or misunderstanding. To wait for Him to signal when it is time to move ahead once again.

Hopefully in my journey, as I learn to wait with Him, and to wait for Him, I will find myself circling back less and less,. Because I know God’s desire for me is to travel in tandem with Him every day, enjoying His loving presence as I go.

How do you circle back? Please bless us with your insights!

Sharing a sunset. Enjoying the presence of God.

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by Lydia Floren

“Solitude is not withdrawal in order to get away. It is withdrawal in order to be with Someone who normally gets crowded out of our lives…. it is the place of love and trust. It therefore puts presence before action and seeks companionship before help.” (Charles Rigma)

So many times when I am alone with God, I have an agenda. I might want perspective, or wisdom, or direction, or healing of some sort. But I think much of that time with HIm would be better spent not seeking anything, except to just hang out with Him. No agenda. No words, really. Just two friends relishing a companionable silence—aware of each other, but not expecting from each other. We have an understanding: I enjoy His presence, and He enjoys mine.

I liken it to sitting with a close friend at the beach watching a sunset. Though no words are exchanged, the connectedness is almost palpable. And the silence between us seems to magnify the beauty surrounding us.

In Heaven, I expect God and I will share many such quiet moments, enjoying the sweep of a mountain vista, the trill of a child’s laugh. Or the velvet touch of a horse’s nuzzle, or the fragrance of a rose in bloom. But those experiences will pale compared to the stunning beauty of God Himself. His integrity. His wisdom. His vitality. His strength. His gentleness.

heaven is a ways off, thought, and there is much yet to do in this life. People to help. Commitments to keep. Plans to make, and then to follow.

There is a journey. And I am on it.

However, I must remember: part of that journey includes tasting a bit of heaven from time to time. It is dangling my legs over a seawall with a Good Friend, watching the horizon together in companionable silence. It is enjoying My Creator’s presence, not for what I can learn from Him, or for what He can do for me—but simply because He is there, and I love Him, and He loves me.

And because it is just nice to share a sunset together.

Share with us: How do you find the time to enjoy God’s company?

Recent posts – Time Management Series: Taking Aim: Goal Series – Part I, Beginning With The End In Mi nd: Goal Series – Part II, The Right Things For The Right Reasons: Goal Series – Part III

Be Still and Know that I am God, by Lydia Floren

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Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

In the swirl and stress of the holidays, or just daily living, God often uses these 8 words to restore my soul.

“Be still and know that I am God.”

The simple acts of being and knowing, free us from the Twilight Zone of Anxiety, the Abyss of Never Enough.

“Be still and know that I am God.”

Be.

Just be.
Be aware of being alive. Appreciate that you have a beating heart, and air to breathe.
Settle into the truth that
- You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
- You are wanted. Treasured. Valued. Loved.
- You are known and you are loved.

Be still.

Just stop. Rest. Take a breath. Or two. Be still.
Be still on the inside, as well as the outside.
Release all those thoughts swirling around in your head.
Take your mind off your responsibilities, your concerns, those things in your head that are nagging you.
Let go right now, and just be still.

And know.

Let truth sink in.
Be aware of what is real, and what is not.
What is beyond seeing and understanding—and is in the realm of just knowing.

Know that I

Know the Person who made you,
Who knows you better than you know yourself.
Who loves you with an everlasting love, which is in no way dependent on what you do or don’t do.
Who lives within you.
Who has your back.
Who has shown, and will show you how to live.
Who will never steer you wrong.
Who goes after you when you stray—deliberately or unintentionally–and brings you back to the path of life and joy.
Who restores your soul, leads you into the light and away from the darkness.
Who will never leave you or reject you.
Who keeps you safe—protects your identity, value, belonging and calling—for all eternity.

Know that I am God.

Know that this person–your heavenly father, your friend, your one and only guide in life, your creator—is God.

He is God.

He is

100% good.
The most powerful being in the universe.
Wise
Trustworthy
Present
Compassionate
Understanding
Forgiving
Non condemning
Full of life and joy
Available
Ready to show you a better way to live
Committed to walking with you on that way.

“Be Still and Know that I AM GOD.” Psalm 46:10

How has this truth changed your life? Please share with us!

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

The Kindness of God’s Acceptance

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God’s acceptance of me boggles my mind, when I think about it.

Too often, I don’t – think about it, I mean. Instead, I hide from myself,or others, or Him. Yet hiding doesn’t change reality. No matter where I hide, He is there, with His arms open wide to me. He is fully aware of my faults and failings, and loves me lavishly in the middle of them. (BTW, one of the best ways to hide from yourself or God is to stay too busy.)

In order to receive the full measure of God’s acceptance, I must stop each day and remember that God knows my every thought before it becomes a word or an action, and is intimately acquainted with all my habits.

This is gritty reality. He accepts me knowing every unkind word I have uttered, every selfish act I have done, or will do. Even more daunting, God accepts me knowing the ugliness of the motives behind some of my words and actions, those things often hidden from others. He accepts me with my petulance, pride, manipulation, greed, impatience, annoyance. It boggles the mind.

You would think this would be depressing, but in truth, it is quite the opposite.

The understanding that finally someone knows me completely and loves me unconditionally, empowers me to accept myself with all my faults and failings, an to give my true self to Him each day, and allow Him to make me whole once again.

I can start each day:

Celebrating who I am – His precious child, made perfect by Him.
Rejoicing where I am – on His path to growth and wholeness, with Him showing me the way.
Embracing what I am called to do – love Him, others and myself – in the unique way He created me.

How are you starting your days? enclosedbehindbefore_lg

By Lydia Floren

A Prayer for the New Year, by Lydia Floren

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A Prayer for the New Year

by Lydia Floren

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, truth;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Lord, thank you for loving me through the words and actions of those around me. Thank you for loving me when you have sent someone to:

Lend a hand with a car stuck in snow.
Listen to a triumph or heartache.
Bring a meal.
Give an unexpected gift.
Write a message of hope.
Speak encouragement.
Give a hug.
Share a smile.

Thank you that we each have something to give, something that has been given to us, and that we each give to others in our own unique way.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Tune and polish me, and then play me with your Maestro’s touch. Lift a melody of your love through me, for those who cross my path.

Going Through the Motions

Father, Thank You…

Getting Away

Circling Back

God loves me—personally, and intimately.

I can feel like such a stranger to that love.

I have drifted.

He knows this happens.

Circling Back

Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

Be.

Be still.

And know.

Know that I

Know that I am God.

He is God.

God’s acceptance of me boggles my mind, when I think about it.

You would think this would be depressing, but in truth, it is quite the opposite.

A Prayer for the New Year

by Lydia Floren

Sarah McLachlan – “Prayer of St. Francis”