One of the themes or convictions that Brother Weeps was most passionate about was that each and every person is the singularly precious beloved of God. He always reminded us: “To say that you are the beloved of God or that I am the beloved of God is a two-fold statement. It is first a theological conviction about what God is like and secondly a conviction about what it means to be human, what it means for you to be you and for me to be me and for each other person to be who they are in and before God. The second conviction only makes sense in light of the first statement.”

One day he offered an addendum saying, “I want to clear up a misconception that many people still walk around with and the clarification, I think, is an important one. The opposite of being the beloved of God” he said, “is not being a sinner. Belovedness and sinfulness are not diametrically opposed. They’re not mutually exclusive in the least. Though it is often stated or implied that they are. The opposite of being the beloved”—he paused, then repeated for emphasis. “The opposite of being the beloved is not being a sinner. It’s being uncherished.”

~ Dan Miller, © 2021. All Rights Reserved.

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