This is Valentine’s Day week. Yes, I did say a week. I love Valentine’s Day. It is probably my favorite holiday. I respond to all the fuzzy feels about the day. I love to be loved and the gift-giving. It is also all about showing love to one another.

If you have a significant other, do you have “pet names” for one another? I call my husband, “my handsome honey.” You may call yours, “honey” or “babe” or “sweetie.” There are a hundred variations of pet names. A few years ago, the Lord began to speak to me in my quiet time about one “pet name” which He wanted to call me. It was “Beloved.” It struck me to the core and I even asked my husband to start calling me it.

You can find a good example of the word beloved in Song of Solomon 6:3, it says, “I am my beloved’s, And my beloved is mine. He feeds his flock among the lilies.” Then Solomon describes the Shulamite’s beauty.
That is what I felt the Lord was saying to me. I am His beloved. 

In the online Free Dictionary, beloved is defined as “loved, valued, prized, dearest, sweet, admired, treasured, precious, darling, worshipped, adored, cherished”as an adjective. As a noun, the same dictionary says beloved is “darling, love, sweet, lover, angel, loved one, sweetheart, true love, and dear.” As I am writing this, I see myself imagining the Lord saying both the word beloved and each one of the synonyms to me. Maybe you can do that as well. How does that make you feel?

When I say the word beloved over me, as from the Lord, the love of God overwhelms my heart and fills me to overflowing. Also, I feel that my husband loves me when he calls me “beloved.” Both these instances help me feel secure and at peace in myself. I don’t have to strive in that love. I can rest in the love of God and allow Him to transform me by His love.
Beloved means God loves me. He desires to be with me. I am precious to Him. It also means that I am His favorite ()of course, when we are the Lord’s we are all His favorites). When He calls me beloved, I am free to love myself and love others from the overflow of His love for me. It bubbles up out of me.

So take time today and allow the Lord to love on you. Close your eyes and imagine Him calling you “His beloved.” See how that changes your entire day. Take some time this Valentine’s Day to sit in the love which Jesus has for you as His beloved.