Beloved

"Dearly Beloved" is a common phrase at weddings, and for good reason. What a lovely image in that word, "beloved." I'm not about to go into the etymology of the word, but there is something in the way the Shakespearean pronunciation rolls off the tongue in three hard syllables that I just love. "I am my beloved's and he is mine" pays homage to this word in the familiar Song of Solomon phrase, aslo used abundantly in weddings. At my wedding I even had a banner proclaiming this phrase that Hunny and I stood in front of as we said our vows. It hangs in our home now reminding us of the possessive love we are allowed each other as well as Whose we are, and in Whom we are grafted in as part of His vine.
However, there is another "beloved" that is far more dear to me, so much so it is indelibly marked on my wrist in a gorgeous tattoo. I love tattoos, and pretty much always wanted one as soon as I could figure out what I wanted to mark my flesh with permanantly. After one of the darkest times in my life, I needed a visible reminder of God's faithfulness, His promise to me, his daughter, to provide the peace that passes all understanding. Obviously, a tattoo was in order. It was then that I stumbled upon what has become one of my life verses. I want to share the Message version because of its readability (Psalm 108:1-6):
1-2 I'm ready, God, so ready,
ready from head to toe.
Ready to sing,
ready to raise a God-song:
"Wake, soul! Wake, lute!
Wake up, you sleepyhead sun!"
3-6 I'm thanking you, God, out in the streets,
singing your praises in town and country.
The deeper your love, the higher it goes;
every cloud's a flag to your faithfulness.
Soar high in the skies, O God!
Cover the whole earth with your glory!
And for the sake of the one you love so much,
reach down and help me—answer me!
[Verse 6 in my favorite translation reads, "That Your beloved may be delivered, Save with Your right hand, and answer me!"]
I read this verse and internally just bowed in relief that He is bigger than I am, and I knew that this was the promise I wanted to claim over and over and over,(I'm kind of a dumb sheep and need reminding often, even for the same lessons sometimes!) so I set out to get the Hebrew characters so I could proudly take them to my favorite tattoo artist. I just assumed the word beloved was the same as in the Song of Solomon verse, but it's not. Mind you, I'm no Hebrew scholar, but armed with my Vine's and Strong's concordances, I discovered that in Song of Solomon, the familiar term "dode" is used, and that in the Psalm, "ydiyd" is used. Dode could be used for an uncle or a well-loved family member, and while ydiyd is derived from that, it can also mean "lovely" or simply one who is well-loved. I love that I am His Beloved. This psalm is written by David when he needed victory in battle. I prayed this prayer when I needed victory over the darkness in my life. My enemies were more invisible, but just as strongly felt as the lands of Edom and Moab. And our God is the same, and he LOVES us! We are his Beloved, and He delivers us!
So, yes, I got my tattoo. Just FYI, I used a variant form of the word, to feminize it and make it mine (It is Ydiydah, the feminine way to say Jedidiah).
And for all who like a good love story, it is this very tattoo gotten after much heartbreak that helped me meet my own beloved Hunny! The [very] condensed version is that I was a barista at a trade show his compnay particpated in, and Hunny's not-so-bright co-worker asked why I had a UPC code on my wrist. Hunny promptly spoke up, "That's not a UPC code; it's Hebrew!" I was smitten, and the rest is history.

Thank you, Lord, for your promises to deliver us and redeem us as your Beloved adopted children!