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We have decided to do a series on verbs to celebrate ‘doing’ words and to acknowledge the activities that can be enjoyed regardless of the level of restriction we experience.
Our first contender is ‘redeem’; re-deem.
The word ‘deem’ comes from the old English word ‘deman’ – meaning ‘act as a judge’. Other connotations include: to decide whether a characteristic is present, to regard and hold an opinion, to consider something or someone to have a quality, to define worth or lack of worth, and to give value to.
So, to redeem someone or something is to re-deem them; to determine their value afresh.
This word, redeem, is used often in Christianity but it has become apparent to me that it has lost its true meaning and beauty. It usually conjures up images of a Divine superhero who is focused on cleaning up the messes we make of our lives and saving us from our well-deserved punishments.
Today, I wish to redeem this word in its spiritual context; to redefine it and ascribe new value to it. The sacred writings tell us that we are made in the image of the Divine One, that we are loved and lovable, that we are cherished and respected, that we are called (deemed) ‘friends of God/dess’. We are assured of our significance, our value, and our worth by Eloihym (an ancient name for Deity which means ‘the powers’).
Regardless of how our friends, families, partners, parents, acquaintances deem (value) us, God/dess alone knows us perfectly and deems us loved and honoured. Therefore, to be ‘redeemed’, means to be re-instated into our rightful position of worth and belovedness. Apart from ourselves, Creator alone has the right to define us, my friends, and delights to redeem us! Be loved.