You Are BelovedSample

As believers, we need to get to a place where we can let go and let others see us. The ability to connect deeply with others is one of our greatest human needs. And to be able to connect deeply, we have to train ourselves away from our usual behaviors of withdrawing and pretending. We can’t simply try harder.  

We need a process, a method that allows the knowledge that “I am loved by God” to move from our head to our hearts.

Developing a personal creed did that for me. I based it partly on a sermon from theologian Henri Nouwen and on some of the writings of my friend and mentor Dallas Willard. I added a little more to it, called it the Creed of the Beloved, and then memorized it and said it multiple times every day. Eventually, it became my prayer.

I was astonished to see how above any other spiritual discipline I employed, this Scripture-based creed utterly changed my energy level, my feelings of joy, and my outlook on life. After practicing saying it several times a day for a few weeks, my relationship with God reached new depths, and it was incredible. I began to place healthy boundaries on my life, and I was actually able to open up more to my wife and friends. Other people even started noticing a difference as well! I could see how shame, chronic guilt, and a sense of unworthiness had pervaded my life. Furthermore, I could see how it was getting in the way of my relationship with God and the people I love.

The irony is that the more I reinforced and meditated on the idea that “I’m not what I do, what I have, or what people say about me,” the better these things went in my life. I was more moral, I acted decently toward people, I was less irritable, and suddenly, I had tons of energy. God was blessing me. And I noticed people were beginning to have a better opinion of me.

This creed taught me that by letting go, you actually receive. By being more vulnerable, you become stronger. By not being so busy, you become more productive.

It’s all based on the Bible. Align your mind and your heart with it, and I promise you’ll never be the same.

CREED OF THE BELOVED

I’m not what I do.

I’m not what I have.

I’m not what people say about me.

I am the beloved of God. It’s who I am. No one can take it from me.

I don’t have to worry.

I don’t have to hurry.

I can trust my friend Jesus and share his love with the world.

If you enjoyed this Plan, click here to learn more about the book You Are Beloved by Bobby Schuller.