Learning to Live As The Beloved

I was so excited to be chosen to be part of the new book launch for Bonnie Gray's new book: "Whispers Of Rest".
Everything about this book has drawn me in.  The title, the reviews, the summaries.  I mean, after all, who doesn't want "REST" in their life?  "40 Days of God's Love to Revitalize Your Soul" ???....I'm all in!!

Having previously read Bonnie's book Finding Spiritual Whitespace, and meeting Bonnie at one of her speaking engagements, I was a fan already.  So, picking up her new book, and reading and doing the exercises listed, was thrilling for me.  What I didn't realize or expect was the depth that this journey would take me on.  It is my Love Story with Jesus...from the beginning, and being written and lived out daily.   The journey...the path of learning to live as THE BELOVED...daily.

It's not just a spiritual high from retreat or camp.  It is a moment by moment, breathing, living relationship with my LORD, Jesus Christ.  It is passionate.  It is intimate.  It is life giving, and life sustaining.  It is redefining how I think, and choose to live.

One of the ways I express myself is through gift giving.  As I have been journeying through this book, (now my second time through), I am continually thinking of tangible ways to remind myself of the truths I am learning and discovering.  Accepting myself as God's Beloved, and viewing myself through His loving eyes has given me even greater freedom to express my love back to Him in creative and artful ways.  When I was stitching up this patchwork bear,  I was giddy with laughter and full of JOY as I was creating.  The bear was coming together and I was blossoming in the experience...when I realized, YES!  This is me living as The Beloved.

God made me to create and have joy in experiencing the creative process.  This is how God feels about me when He created me, and sees me "come alive" again in the creating process.  So, I dubbed him "Beloved Bear".  He has magnets in his back so I can stick him on different metal surfaces.  He travels around the house with me as a reminder of how much I am loved, and cherished.  The same delight I had in making him is just a pinprick of the the Delight that Jesus has in me.

I hope you enjoy the photos, and catch a glimpse of what you can discover between the pages of this book.

"Life may seem easier without our dreams.  But we weren't made to simply do life as maintenance.  There are God-Breathed Dreams planted in each of us that are still alive, even if we've left them behind." Bonnie Gray

To pick up you own "Beloved Bear" visit my Etsy shop. (Coming Soon)
Pear Creek Cottage