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The Grand Hunt
for Identity…

…Started as a small child searching for purpose and acceptance

We moved a lot when I was young and I can recall going to three different schools all before the 6th grade rolled around.

Each time our family moved I felt like I had to decide which mask I would try on, because I assumed the real me wasn’t good enough.

The first 30 years of my life have been  a lot about finding my identity; who I am in this world and why I am here; a lot of striving with the outcome being empty.

This past year …

has been the first ever in my life where I can honestly say I am comfortable in my own skin. This God-given skin of mine!

When I got to the place where I stopped comparing myself to others and trying to adjust my life according to what I thought others approved of, it took a load off.

When I realized God really did make me on purpose, I was able to be myself even in the church, and not be so wrapped up in the concern of people’s opinions.

I still struggle with this but when I go to God’s word in prayer, I am reminded to keep my eyes on Him and letHim take care of changing other’s hearts.

In the beginning …

of my faith walk I guess I didn’t get the memo that after receiving Christ into my heart and into my life  I would still mess up and need to continue to believe that His grace was still sufficient, every day – over and over again.

Have you struggled with that too? Wanting to do good and grow but finding it hard to accept the imperfect you?  Yeah, it is hard for us who have those perfectionist tendencies isn’t it?

From all this, we can learn to lean on Him. We can remember it isn’t a bad thing to show our weaknesses. It is actually brave.  And we can realize though we are weak, He is strong for us. (See 2 Cor. 12:9)

When we begin to live each day from a place of acceptance and love, we can begin to heal and grow because we are living like we actually know we are loved!

This point of view is where we find our identity.

We were made by God for God, to be loved and to love.

Taking this redemption-soaked heart of mine, He says, “Child, you are mine.“

 

“When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father,
and you are in me, and I am in you.”
John 14:20

 

 

What Does A New Outlook
on Identity Mean in our Everyday Lives?

It means we can take that love that we believe and experience and we can now pour it out onto others. And it’s real, tangible and no strings attached.

This new identity we have begins to make a difference not only in our life but in other people’s lives. Many people expect to have to do something in return or work for love and acceptance or help. When we love just because, it baffles people and creates a powerful ripple effect.

The results may not be seen right away, but these fruits eventually bloom and boy are they beautiful when they do.  There’s people in my life who, unless I told them, never knew the impact they made on me, all because of how they lived on a daily basis.

They were full of integrity and humility, living loved as a child of God.

When we live knowing Whose we are, it manifests in lovely ways like this and is only the beginning of a great adventure, trekking this Earth, loving those who cross the path we are on while God is dropping seed into their hearts even when we don’t realize it!

This is why we’re alive, friends. Love seeds.