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Luke’s Journal July 2026  |  Vol.31  No.2  |  Sexuality

The Beloved

We are the beloved bride
Seeing only her stain,
We are loved – yet
Struggle to believe…
This is our burden, 
This is our pain.

The groom has spoken
He sees our story,
Knowing every flaw –
Yet has set his love 
Upon us forevermore.

We do doubt
We are the bride,
Who believes she is
Unworthy, feeling she is
Blemished, spoiled, broken…

We are the grieving cleaning woman,
Fatiguing her fingers to thin bones
Forever we are Martha, refusing to
Ever leave the kitchen alone.

We are not like Mary listening
To the teacher in peace,
Resting without fear –
Her heart transfixed by
Each word spoken.

We are the bride to be
Forever removing the stain
Scrubbing like Lady Macbeth,
We only feel deep black shame.

We are an anxious betrothed woman
Failing to see her radiant beauty,
Blinded to the pure Light which 
Made her so sparkling clean,
The bridegroom set his seal
Of love upon her soul and
He has set her free.

Author’s note:

This piece is a reflection on how we know the grace and mercy of God saves us, yet we continue in our striving ways. It is about how often the model of Martha is most lauded in her faith expression, rather than the figure of Mary, who learnt to move from ‘anxious doing’ to ‘quietly being’ in the presence of Jesus. It is also about the importance of seeing we have been made clean by Jesus, no matter what our past relationships consisted of. It is about spiritually knowing we are those who belong to God, in light of what Jesus has done for us, saving us from ourselves by His great love for us.

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