I think it’s about time for some new sweatshirts. Here’s the deal: 5 sweatshirts available to order for 1 week. These are special to me. I’ve been wanting embroidery Oily Stable sweatshirts for a very long time. I’ve wanted sweatshirts guys want to rep, and I’ve wanted sweatshirts that say “beloved”. So here we go: we’ve got all 3!!
The Oily Stable is not just for girls. Yoga isn’t just for girls. The best thing is that loving your body, taking care of yourself, living a life of empowered health, and journey of healing isn’t just for equestrians, or just for young people or a certain “market group”. It’s for everyone. That’s what The Oily Stable is all about.
Can I tell you why “beloved” is so important to me? I grew up loving Jesus. But a couple years ago I had an encounter with the Lord where I became so confident in my identity in Christ. So confident that in my dirtiest, most embarrassing, “weakest” moment, I yelled “I’m the beloved daughter of the most high King”. And you know what, the grace of God covered me that night. Showed up in ways I don’t think I could explain to you.
There’s this song called Inheritance where the pastor Graham Cooke tells you over and over that it is your job to be outrageously loved by God for about 9 minutes. It’ll wreck you, I dare you to look it up and take a listen.
After years of following Christ, I came to a point of brokenness where I believed the words of that song to be true for others, but not for me. I felt like God was using me as a casualty in his love pursuit for others and I felt unsafe. Another amazing quality of God: He’s big enough, kind enough that he can handle that accusation and turn it into the most beautiful story to prove you wrong. In the most loving kind of way. So I accused him, and you know what? I had another crazy encounter in the middle of the Cincinnati airport at 3 am and He said to me: “now watch and see the miracles I’m about to perform, this is how I outrageously love you.” 3 years after that, I can say God is true to his word. He told the truth in that parking lot. He has ravished my heart with extravagant love and healed those parts of my soul that needed healing. He’s taken me to so many places in history where it hurt, where I was angry with him and showed me how He was there, how He loved me and preserved my life. It is a refining process that’s for sure. Not always pleasant, but oh so worth it.
It was in Holy Yoga instructor training where I laid bare in savasana and that song came on again. Instructors talked about how God calls us by name, and He calls us Beloved. How we can walk into a room and introduce ourselves as beloved daughter or son, and it doesn’t take away from anyone else’s belovedness. Choosing to surrender and live from an identity as Beloved has literally been life changing.
So, just like how The Oily Stable is for everyone, so is Beloved. You don’t have to come to one of my yoga classes or even do yoga. But, I do believe that Jesus has a way of encountering us in one-of-a-kind ways when we get on our yoga mats. I pray that everyone who wears these sweatshirts doesn’t just wear the word “beloved” but may the meaning of that word soak into your whole being. May it be a reminder that you, no matter what you’ve done, where you’ve been, what you haven’t done, are beloved. I pray you wouldn’t shrink or perform, or listen to who the world says you are. Just be, beloved. That is who you are.
One of my favorite moments of downtown living was when I was standing on Walnut St with one of my friends. They were asking who this “new Elizabeth” was, this confident Elizabeth. I told them “it’s me, the beloved daughter of the most high King.” They smiled and yelled “I’m a beloved child of the most high King too.” Yeah you are. You know what happened next? Someone walking by who had just bought drugs from someone on the corner of the street yelled, “I’m a beloved child of the most high King.” That right there, is power. Declaring out loud identity into others, empowering them. It’s a domino effect. The power of life and death is in our tongues. Our words matter.
When you wear this sweatshirt, I hope people ask what it means or where you got it. I hope you tell them “I’m Beloved and so are you.” Let it be a ripple effect. When people ask what the Oily Stable is, I hope you’ll tell them about how awesome it is to love your body and take care of it well and how you want that kind of wellness for them too.
I had my favorite photographer, Alayna Mackin, and her husband take some really rad photos in these sweatshirts. I hope you’ll wear them. They’re available to order here- only for a week!
“how bold one gets when one is sure of being loved ”