Lily Among Thorns: Seeking Jesus Monday: I am none of these.

I am growing. I am changing. Phillippians 1:6 tells me to be confident "that he who began a good work in [me] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." I am learning so much about myself as a woman and watching God renew my heart and mind. I'm reading a book called Ruby Slippers by Jonalyn Grace Fincher. It's teaching me so much about myself and God's sacred intent for me and my femininity.

As women, we often pile on layers of labels that we allow define who we are. We are afraid to stray away from those prescribed "roles" lest we fail at being a wife, a homemaker, a mom, an athlete, a scholar, you name it, a woman. We define our worth based on our performance in these prescribed roles and sometimes feel unfulfilled, unsatisfied, or stunted in these roles like a prisoner in a cell. Our expectations of ourselves or other's expectations of what we "should be" are the chains that keep us immobilized. In a daily surrender to Jesus, we must discipline our souls to strip away these layers one by one; they have "tremendous sticking power." Our identity is found in Christ alone. He is the One who created us in His image and His plans for you and I are far greater than a prescribed "role" or "label."

This prayer is meant to be uttered daily. It's meant to equip us to strip off those layers that bind us and find our identity in Christ alone. I encourage you to write your own prayer of identity and find healing in Christ.

My Prayer of Identity

I am not a wife, a daughter, a niece, a sister, a friend... (your relationships)

I am not a nurse... (your training)

I am not a student... (your job)

I am not organized, patient, creative, optimistic, empathetic, a good listener... (your gifts)

I am not selfish, demanding, stubborn, prideful, lost... (your failures)

I am none of these.

I am a naked soul clothed in the righteousness of Christ.