Key verse: And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)
When I was growing up in Canada, I was a Brownie and then a Girl Guide. It was as a Girl Guide that I fell in love with camping. There was something about being out in the wilderness and living close to nature that just spoke to my soul. I’d been to weekend camps not to far from where I lived in London, Ontario. One summer I signed up for a 1 week camp up at Doe Lake, not too far from Algonquin Park. During that camp we were invited to take our sleeping bags out into the middle of the campsite and sleep under the stars. I jumped at the chance! Laying on the cold ground and feeling the night chill on my face, I gazed up at the night sky. It was alive with light. More stars than I’d ever seen twinkled back at me as I watched with utter amazement. I felt so small and insignificant that night, watching the immenseness of the universe. And yet I felt so loved. It was as if the stars were speaking to me, that quiet voice speaking directly to me. “You are my child. You are beloved. I love you more than words can say.” When I look back on my faith journey, I think that was one of the most defining experiences of my life. Something changed for me that day. Not all at once. And really, only in retrospect as I reflect on that powerful night. That was the night that my intentional relationship with God began. And it started because I felt God’s love so deeply as I looked at the beauty of all that God created and realized for the first time, that God created me too.
Questions for Reflection:
When have you felt the power of God’s love? Go back to that moment and experience it again for the first time.
Was there something or someone that helped you to be that awake to God’s love?
How did your life change because of the realization that you are God’s beloved?
Growing with God… putting faith into action
