The apostle John has a unique way of referring to himself in the gospel that he wrote. Several times he uses the phrase “the disciple whom Jesus loved”. He could have referred to himself as: an apostle, one of the Twelve, a preacher of the gospel, a witness to the resurrection, or a number of other ways. But he simply chose to call himself “the disciple whom Jesus loved”.

Maybe this is a good way to think about ourselves. It tends to prevent prideful thinking and promote humility. It reminds us that Jesus loves us in spite of our faults and weaknesses. This way of thinking about ourselves will help us think less about performance and more about grace.

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of simply thinking of myself as somebody Jesus loves.

I might even put it on my tombstone!