In that light-blinding
mountaintop
moment,
you heard Me say,
“You are My beloved,”
and you believed it.

You held it
close,
felt it
thumping against your chest
all the way
down.

But oh, My love,
here in the valley,
where

the traffic’s jammed with red lights,
you get that look of disappointment,
the day is done and your work isn’t,
your playdate gets cancelled–again,
the dark thoughts return,
it’s all your fault,
your stomach’s upset,
you just can’t sleep,
or see,
or hear,
or remember,

let Me tell you again,

“You are my beloved.
I will never leave you
or forsake you.
You
are   
mine.”

If you would enter
into the wilderness,
do not begin 
without a blessing.

Do not leave
without hearing
who you are:
Beloved …

—Jan Richardson,
“Beloved Is Where We Begin”

∗ ∗ ∗

A Lenten Pause

As we continue to claim our belovedness, we have moments when we know it and feel it in our bones. It’s like a glorious homecoming. Then there are other times when we doubt our worth and ask ourselves, as I do sometimes, “Would anyone fall in love or stay in love with me?” The Holy and Loving One hears the sighs of our hearts and invites us to return home to our belovedness again and again.

During Coming Home: An Ignatian Silent Retreat last weekend, we listened to a number of songs that invited us to come home to Love’s embrace. If you would like to listen to them, here is our playlist.

Credits and References:
A person sitting on a mountain top by Wallpaper Flare. Creative Commons.
“Let Me Tell You Again” by Esther Hizsa, 2023.
“Drudgery” by madras91. Used with permission.
“Time” by Cale Woodley Used with permission.

© Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim, 2023.
The unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without permission from Esther Hizsa is prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used provided there is a link to the original content and credit is given as follows: © Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim 2013-2023.  http://www.estherhizsa.com