Walking as God's Beloved

Grace and peace to you.

This year, our church has been holding onto one phrase: 'Walking as God's Beloved.' It comes from Zephaniah 3:17 — a verse that says God rejoices over us with singing. Not tolerates us. Not merely forgives us. Rejoices over us, with singing.

I've noticed something in our students here in Tbilisi — many of them carry a quiet exhaustion. Far from home, far from family, working hard to become doctors, trying to hold onto faith in a place that can feel isolating. And underneath the exhaustion, often, is a question: am I still loved, even here, even like this?

That's the question this vision answers. Not with a program, but with a truth to walk in: you are God's beloved child, before you do anything, before you achieve anything, before you even believe it fully.

I want to invite you into this same walk. Wherever you are reading this from — Tbilisi, Korea, or somewhere else entirely — you are invited to remember today: you are not carrying your life alone, and you are deeply loved by the One who made you.

Grace to you, Pastor John