#Faith – I and Thou Reflections

Sacred Love: Being Desired

A Series of Longing from the Song of Songs

I welcome love that desires me — wholeheartedly.

The longing to be desired runs deep in our veins.
Instinctual, yes.
Human, yes.
Holy, even.

We long to be desired.
Not just seen—
but wanted.
Not just appreciated—
but cherished.
Not just noticed—
but drawn in.

It’s more than “I see you.”
It’s “I want you because you matter to me.
Because you complete something in me.”

We all have a need to be desired—
for kindness,
for wisdom,
for direction,
for presence,
for comfort.

Desire is filled by—
presence,
beauty,
body,
essence—
Your all.

The Song of Songs sings.
It celebrates.
It delights in every dip and valley,
In every high and low,
of sweetness,
apples,
nectar,
honey.

Chapter 7 is a dance of praise —
a lover gently caressing from top to bottom.
Without shame.
Without fear.
Pure sacred love.
Like the desire God has for us.

It is holy boldness. It is a sacred longing. It is the joy of connection—
two humans,
One God.

The body doesn’t separate from the soul.
It honors spirit, mind, flesh, and breath.
A garden of delight—
trich colors,
sweet ripe fruit,
an aroma that tickles the senses.

This is the gift of love.
Available to all who wish to partake.
Rooted in covenant.
Personal.
Intimate.
And sacred because God is in it.

“Your stature is like that of the palm, and your breasts like clusters of fruit. I said, ‘I will climb the palm tree; I will take hold of its fruit.’” — Song of Solomon 7:7–8

May you feel the beauty of being desired —
the wonder of who you are.
May love kiss you with delight,
and meet you in the places you never knew you had. Amen

*Image Credit: “Maracujá, Maracuyá, Passion Fruit, Fruta de la Pasión”*
*by VIc Lic is licensed under CC BY 2.0.*

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Sacred Love: Being Known

A Series of Longing from the Song of Songs

I welcome love that knows me—my body and my mind—fully, gently, and with tender loving care.

As we go deeper into love,
after being chosen,
comes the longing to be known.

Known in the quiet places of your soul.
The places you guard.
To the place where you let love speak—
wildly.
boldly.
with passion.

The Song of Songs is a book of poetry.
Two lovers—
emotionally,
spiritually,
and physically connected,
in ways that stretch beyond human understanding.

They know each other’s scent.
Each other’s voice.
Each other’s presence.
Each other’s body.
And still — they bless one another with delight.

Sacred love says,
“I am here with you, as you are.
I will gaze at you and take you in.
Into my heart. Into my body.”

It is the tremble.
The quiver.
The moan.
The release.

To be known is to be safe.
To be held.
to be loved in the way God intended —
with reverence,
with joy.

“My beloved spoke and said to me, ‘Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, come with me.’” — Song of Solomon 2:10

May you feel the courage to be known.
May sacred love meet you in your secret places. Amen.

*Image Credit: “Forehead Kiss” by allisonmseward12 is*
*licensed under CC BY 2.0.*

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Sacred Love: Being Chosen

A Series of Longing from the Song of Songs

I welcome love that chooses me with intention, tenderness, and joy.

Deeper than being seen,
deeper than being pursued,
is the longing to be chosen.

Chosen for you.
Your laugh.
Your smile.
Your eyes.
Your tender heart.

It’s that feeling of someone looking into your eyes and saying, “I see you, and I want to be with you — and in you.”

Yes.
You.

It is in that moment that love becomes intentional.
Desire meets heart.
Heart meets mind.
Affection becomes commitment.
Commitment becomes direction.

And the Song of Songs is all about this.
Bold.
Mutual.
Desire.

The lovers choose each other —
with their words,
their longing,
their delight.

They choose each other
tenderly,
kindly,
intimately.

Sacred love meets you where you are and moves forward.
It is the catalyst for togetherness.
Fully.
Freely.
Surrender.

Sacred love surrenders —
first to God,
then to your spouse —
and builds a foundation for a lifetime of joy, love, and delight.

“My beloved is mine and I am his.”

— Song of Solomon 2:16

May you feel the beauty of being chosen.
Loved.
Delighted in. Amen

Image Credit:
“Hand Holding Bouquet of Flowers” by Image Catalog is marked with CC0 1.0.

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Sacred Love: A Valentine’s Day Reflection

A Series of Longing from the Song of Songs

I welcome love that honors, cherishes, and meets me where I am.

Valentine’s Day can stir many things — good, bad, and indifferent.
But beneath it all lives a deep, primal need for love.
Sacred love.
The mutual kind. Tender. And true.

Sacred love says,
I see you.
I want to pursue you.
I delight in you.
I choose you again and again.

It moves toward you with intention. It rests in you with joy. It honors the beauty you carry — even the parts you hide. Or ignore.

And on this day, when the world is full of roses and romance, may you remember this:

You are worthy!
You are worthy of a love that cherishes your soul.
A love that listens.
A love that protects.
A love that celebrates your existence.
A love that reflects the heart of God.

Is your lover loving you like God does?

Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death.

— Song of Solomon 8:6

May this day remind you that you are deeply loved by God.
May you be open to receiving the sacred love that God offers.
May you feel held, chosen, and treasured. Amen.

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Sacred Love: Being Delighted In

A Series of Longing from the Song of Songs

I welcome love that delights in who I am — not who I try to be.

There is a longing deeper than being seen or being pursued.
It is the longing to be delighted in.
That feeling of bringing someone joy.
Or causing someone to smile.
Or being the twinkle in someone’s eye.

Delight says,
I want to be with you.
I want to see you smile.
I appreciate you.
I enjoy your company.
I cherish you.

Think about that.

If you are not sensing these feelings in your relationship, it may be time for an honest talk.

In the Song of Songs, delight is everywhere.
It is spoken.
It is sung.
It is celebrated.

The lovers do not hide their joy in one another.
They speak it.
They name it.
They savor it.

Sacred love invites you into that same truth —
that you are not only wanted,
not only pursued,
but delighted in.

Delight is different from desire.
Desire reaches for you.
Delight rests in you.

Is your lover resting in you?

Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my beloved among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade,
and his fruit is sweet to my taste.

— Song of Solomon 2:3

May you feel the sparkle of being delighted in.
May you find joy within you and around you. Amen.

“Tulips & apple tree | Tulipany i jabłonka” by Maciej Szczepaniak is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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Sacred Love: Being Pursued

A Series of Longing from the Song of Songs

I welcome love that seeks me and chooses me for who I am.

There is a longing to be pursued.
At least, that has been my experience.
Maybe it’s a female thing — maybe it’s a human thing.

It’s the longing to be wanted.
To be chosen.
To be treasured.
Not because it is “the right thing to do” but because it feels so right.

When someone pursues you, and the relationship begins to take root, there is a season of euphoria —
or maybe it’s desire, maybe it’s wonder —
that feeling of I can’t get enough of you.

Being pursued carries questions.
Will the time and effort be worth it?
How will the journey go?
Will it be smooth sailing?
Or will there be gusts of wind that throw it off course?
Or will the boat capsize, leaving no survivors?

Yet sacred love tells a different story.

In the Song of Songs, pursuit is:
Bold.
Eager.
Joyful.
Mutual.

And why is that?
Because God is navigating the boat.

The lovers row toward one another — with love, joy, and anticipation.

Sacred pursuit is about being wanted.
It is about someone seeing your worth and moving toward you because of it.
And it is about God reminding you that you were created for connection —
that you deserve to be pursued with tenderness and intention.

It is a gentle invitation to commune with God in a way that stirs your heart, a way that makes YOU whisper, “I can’t get enough of You.”
Because the deeper truth is this:
God delights in you more than you can imagine.

Tell me, you whom I love, where you graze your flock and where you rest your sheep at midday? Why should I be like a veiled woman beside the flocks of your friends?

— Song of Solomon 1:7

May you feel the excitement of being pursued —
the beauty, the delight, the anticipation.
May sacred love draw you toward a lover who rows toward you, listening as God navigates the way. Amen

*“Rowboat” by kkalyan is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.*

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Sacred Love: Being Seen

A Series of Longing from the Song of Songs

I welcome love that sees me and honors me for who I am.

We all have a longing.
To be recognized.
To be understood.
To be cherished.

And yet we often hide the very depths of our souls.
Those quiet places.
Tender spaces.
The place where there is fear.

We fear we are too much.
Or not enough.
Not worthy.
But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

One of my long-time friends once told me he loved my eyes — “exotic, almond‑shaped,” he said. Forty years later, I still remember those words. Why? Because in that moment, I felt noticed. I felt like I mattered. I felt valued.

How often do people notice a small sacred detail about you and then actually speak it?

What kind of world would we live in if we spoke the beauty we see instead of keeping it to ourselves?

How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes behind your veil are doves. Your hair is like a flock of goats descending from the hills of Gilead.

– Song of Solomon 4:1

May you truly experience what it feels like to be seen —
not for what you do, but for who you are.
May sacred love meet and guide you where you need to be. Amen.

*Image Credit: “The Veiled Woman” by Koshyk is licensed under CC BY 2.0.*

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Sacred Love: Welcome

A Series of Longing from the Song of Songs

Welcome to Sacred Love.
A month of longing.
A month of poetry.
A month of receiving real, sacred love.

Throughout this series, we will explore the longing that rises from the Song of Songs:
the longing to be seen,
to be held,
to be delighted in,
to belong.

This is an invitation to slow down.
To breathe.

To cherish the beauty of intimacy — emotional, spiritual, and physical.
And to honor the desire God placed within us for connection that is tender, virtuous, and deeply human.

I welcome the beauty of sacred love.

February invites us pause and reflect on love—
Not the commercial love of Valentine’s Day.
But the love that is felt before it is understood.
A love that stirs.
A love that is found in the sacred space within each one of us.

Song of Songs is a book of longing—
the longing to connect to another human soul.
One that is designed by God.
Blessed by God.
And breathed into our very being.
Yet it is only experienced when we invite God into it.

Take me away with you—let us hurry! Let the king bring me into his chambers.

—Song of Solomon 1:4

May your heart and eyes open to sacred love.
May you see and feel this love reaching for you more and more each day. Amen.

*Two figures embracing by Joy Cho found on Athome.com*

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Sacred Love: Introduction

A Series of Longing from the Song of Songs

Love is tender, poetic, and intimate.
There is no doubt that love rises from the sacred space within each of us.
It is the longing to be seen.
To be heard.
To fill the loneliness.
And to remind us that we were created for connection.

The Song of Songs is one of the poetry books of the bible. It is the 22nd book in the Old Testament. Some say it is erotic poetry. But it is far more than that.

Two lovers on a love journey, each longing for the other. Their story is filled with desire, delight, and devotion. Rich with allegory and vivid imagery, this book sings a song of longing and intimacy —
a song that helps us understand what love is all about.

This month, we will step into that longing. The place where we want to be known,
chosen,
pursued,
and deeply cherished.

Sacred love is designed and defined by God.
It is passionate.
It is faithful.
It is holy.
And it is reachable.

It is like nothing else on this earth.
Love is fragrant.
It is mystical.
It is emotional.
It is intimate.
It is sacred.
It reflects God’s love for us.

And so, we begin —
a month of love. And what better place to start than the Song of Songs.

*“Pair lovers, null ida teichmann” is marked with CC0 1.0.*

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Welcoming Love

Affirmation

We welcome love. We open our hearts to its warmth and vitality.

Reflection

As January comes to a close, we have nearly completed the first whole month of 2026. Moving into February feels like crossing a bridge —
one that guides us toward a more authentic way of being. Slow. Steady. True.

January has invited us to slow down, to notice the sparkle, to breathe again.
To appreciate the small things life has to offer.
Now it invites us to open our hearts —to let love meet us where we are.
Not the perfect or polished version of us.
Just our honest, authentic selves.

Love is grand and has its own timeline.
Sometimes it comes softly —
in a kind word offered at the right moment, in a hand reaching for ours, or in the familiar comfort of someone who sees us as we are.
Sometimes it arrives loudly —
like a spark igniting a fire, full of sizzles, cracks, and pops.

What we do know for sure is that love shows up every day in the ordinary:
the warmth and joy shared over a piece of pizza,
the whisper of “I’m sorry,”
the courage to forgive,
the assurance that God is with us – always.

Love is God’s way of saying: You are held. You are seen. You are cherished.
Welcoming love means letting ourselves receive what we often give so freely to others. It means trusting that love is not scarce, not fragile, not earned — but offered. Again and again.

Prayer

God, teach us to welcome love — the love You pour into our lives and the love that flows through the people around us. Help us soften our words, calm our anxiety, and open our hearts to love. May Your love remind us that we are seen, heard, and valued. Amen

*Image Credit: Freepik p. 43 Shared Meal*

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