Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Matthew 3:13–17

I love the story of the Baptism of the Lord. In this moment, so much is revealed at once. We are given the gift of the sacrament of Baptism. We see Jesus step into the waters, publicly identifying Himself with us, so fully that others likely assumed He, too, had sinned. We mark the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. And we witness, unmistakably, the triune nature of our God: the Father's voice in heaven, the Son standing in the river, the Spirit descending like a dove. 

But perhaps what I love most about this event is that in Jesus' baptism we hear the name that God calls each of us: beloved. 

So much of what we think defines us can be taken away. In an instant, we could lose our children, our spouse, or our parents. We could lose our jobs, our health, our strength, and our ability to perform even the most basic tasks. Titles can disappear. Homes can be lost. Money, status, autonomy, and security can vanish. Even our gifts and talents, which can feel like the fabric of who we are, can be stripped away. 

But there is one thing that can never be taken from us. 

We cannot lose our identity as God's beloved daughters. 

By virtue of the gift of our Baptism, our souls were indelibly marked for God. We were claimed, chosen, and named as His own. Long before we ever achieved anything, long before we learned to wear masks, long before we knew how to be successful or useful, God gazed upon us and declared that we belonged to Him. 

But the world is constantly trying to remind us otherwise. Fr. Henri Nouwen speaks clearly of this struggle in Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World. He writes: 

First of all, you have to keep unmasking the world about you for what it is: manipulative, controlling, power-hungry, and, in the long run, destructive. The world tells you many lies about who you are, and you simply have to be realistic enough to remind yourself of this. Every time you feel hurt, offended, or rejected, you have to dare to say to yourself: “These feelings, strong as they may be, are not telling me the truth about myself. The truth, even though I cannot feel it right now, is that I am the chosen child of God, precious in God's eyes, called the Beloved from all eternity, and held safe in an everlasting embrace.”[1]

And why does it matter to know that we are God's beloved? Because when we live out of this identity, it transforms every aspect of our lives. We begin operating from a place of trust and love, rather than from fear and striving. We learn to recognize and hear clearly the sacred voice of God, rather than allowing it to be drowned out by the lies of this world or spirits of self-rejection and doubt. And perhaps most brilliantly of all, this shift frees us to see others as beloved as well, as ones who are also chosen. Instead of competing with others, we begin championing them to step fully into their God-given identity. 

So if there's one thing you carry with you through 2026, let it be this: you are God's beloved daughter. 

You are beloved. When God created you, He saw that you were good. You are precious. You are worthy. You are worth dying for. 

And nothing can ever change that. 

Food for thought or journaling … 

What lies from the world are preventing me from embracing my identity as God's beloved?

Lord, as You heard the Father call You His beloved Son, allow me to hear His voice that calls me His beloved daughter. May I hear this name, and His sacred voice, above all the noise of the world. Give me the courage to fully embrace this identity today and always. Amen. 

[1] Henri Nouwen, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World, (Crossroad Publishing, 2002), 59.