Identity

1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you might declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” NIV

I was a pretty smart kid. I always made good grades, and I typically got awards, being recognized and rewarded for my academic achievements in my school. I was pretty confident too in my intellect, owning my identity as a smart kid and always being capable of catching on when others may have struggled. I was good at art too, and music, but there was one area where I didn’t excel....P. E. I loathed P. E. 

Looking back, I realize that P. E. must’ve not been much of a priority at our school because we only had to go once a month! Oh, but that dreaded once-a-month P. E. class was torture. With a fast heartbeat and a slow trickle of sweat, I stood on the sidelines, always hoping that today, this day, I wouldn’t be picked last. Kickball was always the sport of choice, mainly because, that’s all the equipment the school owned. But that once-a-month kickball session was enough for me to decide that sports just wasn’t my area of achievement. I wan’t good at it, I didn’t feel confident, and I certainly would never be picked as a team captain. That one 45-minute game was enough to ruin my entire day and my self-confidence. Just the thought in the morning before school that I would have to go to P. E. that day was enough for me to fake sick and beg to stay home. 

In our Scripture, Peter is encouraging Christians who are undergoing incredible persecution to remember whose they are. While they are enduring these times of insult and ridicule, they are tempted to retaliate, or worse, turn their backs on their Christianity. Peter knew that their frustrations were discouraging, so he encourages them to view their treatment as an opportunity to testify for Jesus Christ. Peter reminds them of their identity in Christ...chosen, royal, God’s possession. And because of their status in God’s sight, they can declare His praises, the one who has redeemed them from darkness to light. They have been set free from the old meaningless life, where they wandered day in and day out, just surviving. Now they thrive, knowing that this life on earth is only temporary, but given to us to prepare us for what’s to come.

As I look back on those times of embarrassment and nervousness in fifth grade P. E., I wish I could’ve talked my 10-year old self into understanding that this stage was only temporary and that my identity didn’t lie in my inabilities. I wish I could’ve assured that little girl that sometime in the future, that awkward stage would go away and that God could turn something of uncertainty into a testimony of what God can do. 

There are still times when I feel awkward, as I attempt new physical endeavors. Most of the time, new exercises don’t come naturally, and I have to work harder than other coordinated people. But the fact that I’m not naturally gifted in the physical exercise area only adds to my testimony of how God can work in a person’s life. He gives me strength, encourages me daily, and gives me the desire to honor Him with my body. Because of His work in my heart, my desire now is to please Him in every area. That’s my identity in Christ. I’m so glad that my identity isn’t wrapped up in my intellect, my lack of success on the kickball field, or my physical capabilities. It’s the fact that I am chosen, dearly loved, and a part of a royal priesthood. I have been called to declare His praises to has brought me from darkness into His truly marvelous light!

Encouragement for Today

Hosea 14:7 “My people will again live under my shade. They will flourish like grain and blossom like grapevines. They will be as fragrant as the wines of Lebanon.” NLT

Romans 5:10-11 “For since our friendship wit God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” NLT

How Fear Controlled My Life

Isaiah 41:10 “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your god. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” NLT

I have a confession. I absolutely hate trying new restaurants, and it’s not because I’m a picky eater. In fact, it has nothing to do with the food. The reason I have such a distaste for new eating establishments is the awkward moment when you go through the door and you’re uncertain. Do you seat yourself, wait to be seated, go to a counter, throw your hands up to catch a roll....what do you do? Know what I mean? And all the while, all the locals are seated, watching me with their curious eyes, knowing instantly that I’ve never been here. “She doesn’t know what to do,” I can just hear them thinking out loud. It’s all rather silly, but it’s honestly something that goes through my mind every time I walk through an unknown door.

Most of my life I’ve spent in fear. Fear of heights, fear of water, fear of people, but most of all, fear of rejection. As a child, school wasn’t even safe, as I had an eye disorder that made me “different” than the other children. As a teenager, I didn’t participate in activities that the other teens enjoyed, and I was automatically cast out. As an adult, the fact that I’ve followed the call to discipleship makes me different too. All of this is why, without a doubt, I still would rather blend into the wall than make small talk with people I don’t know. It’s not that I don’t enjoy getting to know other people, no, it’s that I always felt like they wouldn’t want to get to know me. I wasn’t good enough, not smart enough, not interesting enough, not spiritual enough, and not pretty enough. I wasn’t enough.

Fear controlled me. It controlled my relationships, my hobbies, my opportunities, my career, and my relationship with Jesus. Because my fear so crippled the things I was able to do, my family suffered as well. Fear of embarrassing myself with my lack of athletic ability kept me from getting healthy for years. Fear that people would make fun of me or make snide remarks controlled my emotional health. Fear even later kept me from following the path that God had called me in sharing my story of weight loss, that I withheld the goodness that God brought about in my life from others who desperately needed to know that He is able! 

As I was reading through Isaiah one day, this well-known verse caught my attention. Countless times in the Bible, God says, “Do not fear.” But in this case, because of the exile, the people of Israel felt that God had thrown them away. They felt alone and unloved, but God had a purpose and a calling for them. Again, He expresses His love for them, “I am your God.” The promise of God’s abiding presence is continually weaved throughout Scripture, and...your life. In this Scripture, He uses the language of the covenant to remind them that He is victorious. Remember, He was the God who rescued them from Egypt, led them through the Red Sea on dry land, and fed them in the wilderness. Through all of the battles fought, God was there. He had planned their lives and their nation’s history in such a way as to show His faithfulness through it all. The road had not been easy; no one would claim it to be, because He was with them, they need not fear.

As I’ve looked back through the years of my life, I can see His hand designed plan upon every step.He has ordered my life in such ways that I never could’ve imagined for myself. He’s given me purpose, a calling, joy, and strength for the journey. Most of all, He saved me. Why should I fear? 

On days when the enemy comes around, telling me that I am not enough, I remember that God Himself has hand-designed my life. He has chosen me, equipped me, and given me gifts that I cannot help but share with others. The problem that I was facing all those years is that I thought my fear should be cured from within. But in fact, the cure to my fear comes from Him. If I’m confident in my skills, abilities, and interesting topics of discussion, I’m only confident in myself. But if I stand confident in what He has done in me, I boast about Him, giving Him glory. If rejection does occur, I can stand confident in the fact that He is pleased with me. And His victorious hand sustains me. 

What frightens you? If your worst fear were to come true, what’s the worst that could happen? Is God still on the throne? Hasn’t He been faithful through it all? 

Ask Him today to instill in you a confidence that comes from Him. He is faithful, and He is victorious!

Encouragement for Today

Jeremiah 29:11-14 “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,’ says the Lord, ‘I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.’” NLT

Psalm 34:4-6 “I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears. Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; he saved me from all my troubles.” NLT

Growing Up

Colossians 1:9-14 says,  "9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

Faith got her braces off yesterday. My baby girl. She's endured three years of orthodontic torture, wearing every possible apparatus they could throw at her, at times looking much like a human cell tower. Her doctor gave me a before/after photo, but the intended effect didn't quite happen. We moved two years and four months into her treatment, and therefore; the orthodontist has only treated her here for 8 months. The photo only showed what she looked like 8 months ago and then what she looked like on the day of disbanding. I could see that her jaw was more pronounced, and there was a difference there. But the biggest glaring difference to me was the age progression in only 8 months! She'll be 13 in only three weeks, and I realized that day...all too well...that she's growing up. Stop! My mind screamed. Stop the clock! Stop the calendar! I haven't had enough time! Apart from ensuring her orthodontic success, how else have I succeeded?

Colossians 1 came to mind. At the time of his writing, Paul had not yet visited Colosse, but he was visited in prison by its missionary, Epaphras, who originally took the gospel there. Paul is encouraging the believers in this letter by expressing his heart about them growing in their knowledge and grace of God. 

• He prays for them. How could Paul pray for people he never met? Wouldn't that be difficult to know how to pray? Not at all. When we pray for other believers, even those who aren't believers, it's easy to pray for God's will for them. We know that God's will is that we would all come to a saving knowledge of Him.
• He encourages them to live a holy life. Living a life "worthy of the Lord" means living to His standard and precepts. We can be encouraging to others and not demeaning to them when we share God's word! It's not a rule book meant to be seen negatively. It's written to give us hope and encouragement by telling us we can do it!
• He acknowledges that living a life pleasing to the Lord can be difficult at times. Verse 11 directly speaks of endurance in this life. We can complete this life victorious over sin because we have Him in us

From the time we knew I was expecting Faith, Heath and I would stand over her bed (then empty) and pray for her. We would pray that she would come to know Him at an early age (and she did). We prayed for a kind heart,  and we prayed for a spirit bent toward doing His will. And she has all of those. I have done so many things wrong in the years I've raised her. I've neglected so many things that should've been said/done, and I've over-done some things when I should've taken a step back and let her fly. But I've completed verse 9. 

Time keeps marching on, and she's still growing up. But that's exactly the way it should be. She's growing, maturing, and best of all, she's growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.

How about you? Are you growing? Are you living a life worthy of the Lord, pleasing Him in every way?

He can equip you and give you strength for the day, helping you to endure. Ask Him. He is faithful.