Beloved and Becoming: 
Finding Your True Self in God's Love

In the Gospel of Mark, there is a profound story that reveals not just the power of Jesus but also His deep care and love for His disciples. This passage, Mark 6:45-56, offers us rich insights into who we are as God’s beloved and the mysterious and mighty works God can accomplish in and through us, even when we cannot fully comprehend them.

Jesus Takes Care of His Disciples

The narrative begins with Jesus urging His disciples to get into a boat and head to Bethsaida while He dismissed the crowd. This was not an arbitrary decision. Jesus had just performed the miraculous feeding of the 5,000, and He knew His disciples needed rest. He tried to take them away to a quiet place, but the crowd followed. So, He sent the disciples away, staying behind to manage the crowd, demonstrating His thoughtful care for them.

Jesus Takes Care of Himself

After dismissing the crowd, Jesus went up on a mountain to pray. This act of retreat highlights the importance of self-care and communion with God. Even Jesus, in His divinity, sought solitude to recharge and connect with His Father. It’s a powerful reminder that we, too, need moments of retreat to strengthen our spirits.

Jesus Walks on Water

As evening fell, the disciples found themselves struggling against the wind on the sea. Around the fourth watch of the night, Jesus came to them, walking on the water. This miraculous sight terrified them, as they thought they were seeing a ghost. But Jesus immediately reassured them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

The disciples’ fear and amazement were tied to their failure to fully grasp who Jesus was, even after witnessing the miracle of the loaves. Mark notes that their hearts were hardened, meaning their understanding was dulled. They couldn’t see that the same Jesus who fed the 5,000 with a few loaves and fish had command over all creation, even the molecules of water and the forces of nature.

Opening the Apostles’ Eyes

Throughout His ministry, Jesus gradually revealed to the apostles who they were in Him. Earlier in Mark 6, He sent them out with the authority to cast out demons and heal the sick. Yet, their full understanding of their identity and mission only came at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended upon them with power.

Even then, the apostles continued to learn and grow in their understanding. For instance, in Acts 10:9-29, Peter’s vision of the sheet with unclean animals challenged his preconceptions about God’s inclusivity. This vision and the subsequent encounter with Cornelius, a Gentile, helped Peter realize that no person is common or unclean in God’s eyes.

Who Are You?

In light of these events, we must ask ourselves: Who are we? On one hand, we know exactly who we are—we are not common or unclean. We are special to God, dear to Him. Yet, the world often tells us otherwise, measuring our worth by our net worth, talents, looks, or abilities. This can harden our hearts, making it difficult to believe in our true identity as God’s beloved.

On the other hand, we have no idea who we will become. The disciples were ordinary fishermen, but Jesus transformed them into fishers of men. They didn’t make themselves who they were to be; Jesus did. Their journey began with a simple invitation: “Follow me.” By accepting this invitation, they embarked on a path of discovering their true selves.

Identity, Prayer, and Hope

Reflecting on our identity can be challenging. Nadia Bolz-Weber shares a poignant memory from her childhood, where a school project tasked students with creating a collage to express who they were. This exercise, though simple, underscored the complexity of self-identity. We often try to define ourselves by our likes, accomplishments, or what others think of us, but these are fleeting and superficial.

In 1 John 3:2, we find a profound truth: “Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed.” This verse encapsulates the hope and mystery of our identity in God. Despite our imperfections and the world’s attempts to label us, we are God’s own. Our true identity is known to God, who knit us together in our mother’s wombs. Prayer, as Bolz-Weber describes, is a process of shedding false identities and aligning ourselves with the person God created us to be.

This hope is what motivated the hemorrhaging woman to reach for Jesus’ garment, believing there was more for her than illness and impurity. It’s what inspired Bartimaeus, the blind man, to cry out to Jesus despite being told to be silent, trusting that his true identity had not yet been revealed.

We Are Dearly Love by God and We Do Not Yet Know What We Will Be

We are dearly loved by God. The death and resurrection of Christ demonstrate the depth of God’s love for us. What we will become is still unfolding. The disciples did not foresee being chosen by Jesus, nor did they anticipate preaching about the Messiah after His resurrection. History is full of people whose lives were radically transformed by following Jesus.

The same is true for us. We cannot predict what we will be next year, next month, or even next week. But if our hearts remain open to God’s work, we can trust that He will lead us into our true identity.

We are God’s beloved, and we know that deeply. Yet, what God will do in and through us remains a mystery. Our journey, like that of the disciples, is one of continual revelation and transformation. Let us keep our hearts open, embracing the simple invitation to follow Jesus and discovering who we truly are in Him. And let us pray that our hearts would not be calloused over and keep us from seeing the gifts God is bringing into our lives.