Defining Your Identity

This morning I was reading just as I do every morning and I saw something that really made me stop in my tracks and think. 

 (Pic found on Pinterest)

How do we see/identify ourselves? Do you identify yourself by your circumstances? When you look in the mirror, do you see a girl from a broken home? A girl that was rejected by her father? A girl that lost her best friend way to early in life? A girl that messed up A LOT in her younger years? A girl that refused God at the time she should have turned to him?

So many of us see ourselves as our circumstances but that's not what God wants us to see. God created us and he created us in his perfect image. That doesn't mean we are going to be perfect but it does mean that he will forgive us for our sins. That no matter what, he loves us and sees us as the perfect beings that we are. All you have to do is accept him, love him and do right by him. 

To me that is a HUGE comfort! I was not Ms. Perfect by any means and I am still not. I mess up, I make mistakes....the difference is now when I do, I turn to prayer. I turn to God, ask for his forgiveness and then pray for strength to not only move on but to do better next time. I ask that he provides his strength in me and helps to guide me in the right direction. 

I went through a very difficult situation almost 8 years ago. At that moment in my life I was young, I had lost and I was hurting very badly. Instead of turning to God for his strength to get through it, I was MAD at him! I wanted nothing to do with him because I couldn't understand how something such as this could happen. He didn't turn his back on me though. He sent me peace, love and waited for me to accept that there are greater plans than the ones we have. That God's plan triumphs every other plan. 

Just as God's plan triumphs, so does his LOVE! He doesn't care if your parents divorced or if they have been married 50 years. You dad walking out of your life doesn't reflect on you as a person but rather on your father in God's eyes. He doesn't disown you if you have a wild couple of  years. His love triumphs that and he accepts you back the second you ask for forgiveness. Now that gives me so much inspiration. That means I should not be judging myself on those things either! I should accept myself for who I was and take each day to better myself. Each day is a gift and I should (and do) use that day to get closer to God, my family and to become the best version of myself that I can be. My past is forgiven. My future is bright! 

In the book  I am currently reading, the author talks about how she once identified herself by her circumstances (broken home, rejected by her father, etc.). She found hope by changing how she identified herself with her circumstances and instead identified herself by who God says she is.

Christina, the forgiven child of God. (Romans 3:24)

Christina, the set-free child of God. (Romans 8:1-2)

Christina, the accepted child of God. (1 Corinthians 1:2)

Christina, the holy child of God. (1 Corinthians 1:30)

Christina, the made-new child of God. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Christina, the loved child of God. (Ephesians 1:4)

Christina, the close child of God. (Ephesians 2:13)

Christina, the confident child of God. (Ephesians 3:12)

Christina, the victorious child of God. (Romans 8:37)

(Feel free to put your name in place of mine, as I replaced the author's name with my own.)

I think it's SOOO important that you identify yourself as something other than your circumstances! We are each made for more! We deserve more and we ARE more! 

If you are interested, the book I am reading is Made To Crave by Lysa Terkeurst. It's actually a book based on her weight loss journey and how she fought her cravings by seeking God and how we were made to crave but the intention was to crave God and not food. It's a great read and I definitely recommend it! :)