A few months back, I heard a song by Sarah Kroger titled Belovedness (I will link it below, I highly encourage you to listen). What a powerful ballad highlighting all the areas of our lives we feel inferior and the reason why we do. Most of those things are no longer ours to own. Lack of self-worth, self-hatred, fears, and failures have been in the corner of our hearts for years. We gave our hearts to Jesus as believers, yet we still struggle with our past. Perhaps like me, you have been conflicted by regrets of things you did or did not do.
Here is the thing- we all know better. We are the shoulder someone runs to, the listening ear to those hurting, or the one ready with gentle advice. However, we do not do those things for ourselves. Let us look at the list below to see if we think these sound familiar:
- I am not smart
- I can’t do anything right
- I am such a failure
- I will always be a hot mess
- I will never learn
- I am unloveable
- I am not worthy
More often than not, self-deprecating talk permeates our minds more than anything else. Take a minute and answer the following questions truthfully:
Do I focus more on my past failures than my present successes?
Do I have a hard time trusting God’s promises?
Does my faith flounder at times?
How are these thoughts impacting my life?
The proof that you have not owned your belovedness is that your thought life focuses more on the negative than the positive. It illuminates the false narrative the world tells rather than the truth spoken through God’s word. The Bible encourages us through Philippians 4:8-
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
My mom always told me I was my worst enemy. How would she know? By my speech. How you speak about others, and yourself says much about what is happening in your head and heart. You may have heard quoted that our minds are the devil’s playground. Why should he have that distinction? We were created by God surrounded by His belovedness so we would live beloved.
Dictionary.com defines beloved as greatly loved, dear to the heart. Drawing from that meaning, we should be able to pray boldly before God’s throne. Asking and believing that He bends to listen (Psalm 116:2 NLT) and will answer according to His riches in glory (Phil. 4:19 ESV). Owning our belovedness is not a one-and-done after accepting Jesus. It’s a continual process of carrying our burdens and mindset to the cross of Christ. It’s a stepping out in faith despite what we feel or lack. 
Our belovedness has less to do about us and all to do about Him! That’s why saying “I am enough” is valid, and saying “I am not enough” is also true. How can both be accurate? I am enough just as I am. That statement includes all my faults, sins, fears, and everything else the enemy deposits in my brain. I am enough to come before God; I don’t have to be perfect to accept the gift of righteousness.
On the other hand, I will never be enough to make myself whole or worthy. I could never earn it or work for it. It’s only through the gift of Jesus, the cross, and His salvation. Accepting that gift qualifies my imperfect self to an audience with a perfect God. The God who wholeheartedly, without apprehension, offers me belovedness.
Below are some scriptures to meditate on how beloved you are:
- Song of Solomon 6:3
I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine;
He browses among the lilies. (NIV)
- Hosea 2:23
I will plant her for myself in the land;
I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.
I will say to those called ‘Not my people, ‘You are my people;
and they will say, “You are my God.”(NIV)
- Colossians 3:12
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, (ESV)
- Hebrews 6:9
Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation.
Read what the apostle Paul in Romans 12:2 exhorts:
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (NLT) 
Paul understood from personal experience that the world and its customs would influence how we think. Now more than ever, we are bombarded all day through the internet and social media. It is constant chatter about how we should think and what we should eat, wear or buy. The list is endless. No wonder we question who we are and feel so often that we don’t measure up. If we look at the verse again, specifically at the word transformed, its Greek origin is “meta,” meaning change. It’s the exact origin of the word metamorphosis. Change the way you think, and your behavior will follow.
The butterfly encounters one of the most transformational processes we can observe in nature. It starts as a humble caterpillar, followed by the next stage of indwelling within the chrysalis, where a flurry of activity occurs. The naked eye is oblivious to the motions and movements happening within the chrysalis. After a while, a delicate winged creature emerges that we all love having in our gardens. The same is true about the human heart.
Capturing our belovedness allows for life-altering changes to come. It may not happen at once, but over time through the Holy Spirit, our minds will renew, and the things that hold our thoughts hostage will disappear. The secret lies in knowing that we are greatly loved. We are His beloved!
As the beloved, we get to live out the first and second commandments Jesus addressed in Matt. 22:37-39. Living daily from a perspective of belovedness, we can love God faithfully because we know that He first loved us (I John 4:19). Additionally, we can love our neighbor better since we rest in knowing how beloved we are. 
Dear friend, I pray this devotional adds peace and comfort to you. I am thinking and praying for you. Share with a friend if it has blessed you.
XO,
Katherine
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