With one glance of the eye

Picking vacation reading material is daunting. Two recent trips provided me with extensive time to engage in poolside reading, and I wanted a rewarding page-turner. What I got in return was a burning question: what does it mean to be Christ’s beloved?

Last year, a friend continually reminded me that I am Christ’s beloved, but my internal response was always “Yeah, but what does that REALLY mean?”. By no means have I fully grasped it, but through books and songs I find myself inching closer to an understanding.

I had heard countless friends praise Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, so I gave it a shot. This type of fiction is not a normal choice for me, but being familiar with the story of Hosea and Gomer, I figured it would be worthwhile. In all honesty, I struggled with making it through the first chunk of the book—and the book is quite large. Having devoted a significant amount of carry-on space to it, I decided to keep trudging through, and, in all honesty, part of me felt guilty saying I didn’t like this storyline, considering the original source of it is the book of Hosea. Through the pages of Redeeming Love, my interest in "being the beloved" began to evolve.

In Breaking Free, Beth Moore writes, “Christ is completely taken with you. He sees you as His beloved, His bride” (153). Having been conditioned by Hollywood’s classic and modern romance movies, it seems unfathomable that Christ, the Savior, is “taken” with me. What does this really mean? I read this and my mind wistfully floats to two movie scenes, involving two characters named Mr. Darcy.

In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Darcy says to Elizabeth, “You must let me tell you how much I ardently admire and love you.” A similar scene develops in “Bridget Jones’s Diary”. As Bridget and Darcy begin to entertain thoughts of interest in one another, Darcy offers the following toast to Bridget on her birthday: “To Bridget, just as she is” and then intently stares at her across the candlelit table. So, seriously folks. What does it mean that Christ is “completely taken with me”?

I love how Misty Edwards and Kari Jobe incorporate the idea into their lyrics.

“Simple Devotion”—Misty Edwards

And I hear you say, as you gaze over the balcony of heaven
I hear you say, as you peer through the lattice of time
I hear you say, as you stand in heaven
I hear you say, as you rejoice over me
Oh angels, oh angels, look and see
Through that dark night of faith she is gazing at me
Oh angels, oh angels, look and see
Through that cloud of all knowing she’s gazing at me
And you have ravished my heart, my sister my bride
With one glance of your eye

“My Beloved”—Kari Jobe

Under my mercy come and wait
Till we are standing face to face
I see no stain on you my child
You’re beautiful to me…
You’re my beloved
You’re my bride
To sing over you is my delight
Come away with me, my life

Gomer turned her back on Hosea. Israel turned her back on God, yet the Lord said he would, “allure her, lead her into the desert, and speak tenderly to her” as well as “betroth her in righteousness, love, justice, mercy, and faithfulness”.

As Darcy is willing to look past some of Bridget’s downfalls and accept her “just as she is”, the Lord sees me as so much more. He wipes away the stain of sin, sings over me with delight, sees me as beautiful, and is somehow totally captivated by me. It seems like the roles are reversed, considering all He has done for me. Perhaps I need to be the one speaking Fitzwilliam Darcy’s famous words, but with one addition:

Lord, You must let me tell you how much I ardently admire and love you.