Known, Accepted, Loved

Recently, my husband, Will and I were able to safely catch up with good friends of ours. After spending quality time with our friends, I noticed that my heart felt peaceful and so full of love and joy. These friends of ours, they are the type of friends we can go months without speaking regularly with and we know and trust that as soon as we are able to reconnect it will be as if no time at all has passed. They are the type of people who know us fully; they know our shiny, successful bits and they know our messy, not quite as successful bits and they accept us and love us fully.

As I marveled at how lucky we are to have people in our lives who know us, accept and love us so fully—I cannot help but be in awe of how completely known, accepted and loved we all are by God. God sees our shiny bits and our not so shiny bits and still pursues us and loves us. When we mess up, God “offers us a path back into right relationship” as Rev. Darwin reminds us each week in worship as we prepare to confess.

This Lenten season, we are taking time to be still, to breathe deeply into our lives, and to listen to our hearts—to pay attention to what fills them up and to what drains them. May you take time this week to intentionally seek out (safe) connection with others, yourself, and our God. May you trust that you are fully known, accepted, and loved.

—Margaret Fleming

About the author

Margaret Fleming has been a member of Second Presbyterian Church since 2017. A native of Mt. Pleasant, she found herself back home after graduating from Columbia Theological Seminary in May 2020. She resides in Mt. Pleasant with her husband Will, a fourth-year medical student at MUSC. She is a candidate for ordination in the PCUSA and is currently serving as a Chaplain Resident at Roper Hospital.

“Meeting people at their point of need and inviting all into a dynamic relationship with Christ.”