"And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.'" (Matthew 3:17 NRS)
A couple Christmases ago, I was at my daughters' holiday dance recital when one of the younger classes took the stage. It was a class my older daughter taught, and she was out on the platform, off to the side, modeling the dance for her students to help them along.
All the budding ballerinas' parents and supporters were taking pictures and clapping and beaming with pride. I joined in and told some people sitting in front of me, "That's my baby"—and pointed to my teacher-daughter, leading her pupils.
I often tell my girls that three of my all-time favorite words are, "That's my daughter." As parents, when we say, "That's my child," aren't we claiming our sons and daughters, expressing our favor toward them and our pride in them?
I think this is a little of what God the Father might have felt when He spoke blessing and pleasure over His best Beloved. At that moment, Jesus was getting ready to take the stage in a passion play that would end not with the curtain being closed but with the curtain being torn down.
When that veil was removed, it opened the way for us to have relationship with God, to serve Him well, to do His will. So go out today, beloved of the Lord. Take the stage God has set for you. Dance for Him. And hear Him say, "This is my child, with whom I am well pleased."
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I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to tell me what you really think. Years ago, I explained to my then-two-year-old that my appointment with a counselor was "sort of like going to a doctor who will help me be a better mommy." Without blinking, she replied, "You'd better go every day." All of which is just to say I've spent some time in the school of brutal honesty!