Somebody Loves You

By Donna Stone

Originally posted at donnastone.me

You Are Beloved

It was getting close to bedtime and I prayed with my teen daughter. I asked God to bless her and thanked Him for her. Then I stopped talking and gave the presence of the Holy Spirit room.

When the word came it was fresh even though the words on my lips were as constant and familiar to her as breath.

I cupped her face with both my hands, looking her in the eye. I held her there for a heartbeat before I spoke.

You are His Beloved.

There are things we know to be true with our whole being, but over time we lose clarity. Like the view through a recently cleaned pane of glass on a sunny blue sky day, all of a sudden, we are made newly aware of what we knew to be there all the time. There are words, and then there are Words. Truth comes in a rush and we are once again amazed.

You are His Beloved.

All day, every day, feedback and half-truths tell us what we should be. It is a constant assault. This is not a thing only the young among us struggle against. Knowing we are less-than, we recognize our lack. Faced with this reality, we strive to escape our faulty standing, and forget the larger truth of who we are. Who He says we are.

You are worth everything He paid for you.

The messed up, less than, never to be perfect mess that you are. Even now, when you have failed, failed,failed. Even then, before you knew Him, you were worth everything He paid for you. You still are. Now and then, forever.

You are His Beloved.

My arm around her, I began to sing.

I am His and He is mine
A forever love outlasting time
Jesus loves me He’s my destiny
Jesus loves me He is my destiny

I stopped and asked her, “Do you remember this song?”

It was her baptism song. The song I wrote after she made her profession of faith. Then we sang the song together, she and I. Because it is my song, too.

And the song of all who choose to sing.

©Donna Stone 2014

Donna Stone currently is deep into edits of her first novella for young adults, a story to encourage young ladies to accept themselves and their families. Another YA, an adoption message of hope from tragic circumstance, is nearing completion. A third book, a contemporary women's still in the draft stage, travels a decades long love story marred by life and Alzheimer's.

Donna's work has appeared in various anthologies and publications. These days her writing time is primarily spent on novel length fiction rather than freelance or article writing. There are days when moments of seclusion to write bad poetry is required. The remaining hours of each and every day are given over to Donna's beautiful, inspiring, messy family.

She blogs at http://www.donnastone.me

.