Choose to be beloved

The Christian writer Henri Nouwen's writings emphasize that we are beloved of God, always lovable, always loved. In fact, God chose us to love us. Nouwen wrote in his book The Life of the Beloved,

"The Truth, even though I cannot feel it right now, is that I am the chosen child of God, precious in God's eyes, called the Beloved from all eternity and held safe in an everlasting embrace."

Perhaps Nouwen's most loved book is, The Return of the Prodigal Son, and it was also Nouwen's personal favorite. The book is a lengthy meditation on Rembrandt's painting by the same title. In that work Nouwen imagines himself as each of the people in the master painting coming finally to the Father, and feeling himself challenged to love as the father loved (even as he was challenged to receive love as the son received love). It fits so well into Nouwen's ongoing assertion that God loves us and we are to choose to be beloved by God, then God calls us to share that love with others.

For those who want to learn more about Nouwen and his works, here's a great introduction to Henri Nouwen.