{"id":33411,"date":"2024-10-30T20:30:50","date_gmt":"2024-10-31T00:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=33411"},"modified":"2024-10-30T20:38:33","modified_gmt":"2024-10-31T00:38:33","slug":"worship-wednesday-its-time-to-own-your-belovedness-sarah-kroger-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=33411","title":{"rendered":"Worship Wednesday – It\u2019s Time to Own Your Belovedness – Sarah Kroger"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Photo Credit: YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: \u201cYes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.”<\/em> – Jeremiah 31:3<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTherefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.\u201d – <\/em>Ephesians 5:1<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“\u201cYou see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us<\/strong>.\u201d – Romans 5:6-8<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.<\/em>” – Galatians 2:20<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you have any idea how loved you are?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m pretty sure most of us do not. In fact, even those out there still young, successful in their careers, with great looks and all kinds of smarts, and wildly self-confident…even those surely have dark moments of uncertainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just last night, I had one of those hard hits inside my mind that worked its way through my body, leaving me in a pile of emotions. My poor husband. He and God hear those struggles. When a series of events, like a string of falling dominoes, push all the insecurity buttons…and I come of the end of myself. Dr. Curt Thompson and Dan Allender (from last week’s amazing conference<\/a>) both talked about naming the emotions as part of what heals them…and what brings us back to our senses, so to speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In that dark moment last night, I named the terror inside of me: “I can’t seem to do anything well”. There. I probably said it out loud in a more piteous way, but that felt the most real at the moment. In fact, that is part of my salvation testimony – wanting to be good for my sweet mama who had such a weight of responsibility working and raising four kids…and I could never be successful at that “being good”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enter a loving Father, a surrendered Savior, and a perfect Comforter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo Credit: Ian Simpkins, Facebook<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It doesn’t matter to Him what my performance is nor my appearance while performing. I am loved. Period. Full-stop. He loves me (us) – the undeserved. He is love. He chooses to love – each of us in the holy perfection of divine love. God calls me back to that glorious fact various times through each day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo Credit: Pinterest<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Last week, at that aforementioned conference, the worship team led us in a song I’d never heard. It was absolutely perfect for that audience and for the theme “Imagination to Incarnation”<\/em>. The song is “Belovedness”<\/a><\/em> by singer\/songwriter Sarah Kroger<\/a>. It was a worship moment when God wrapped His arms around each of us…as if He was speaking right into our hearts. Have a listen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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