DEVOTION: MAY 7

Tell me about yourself.

Our answers are always automatic, and as women usually start like this:

I’m a wife, a mom.
I work for This Big Company.
I’m active in my church, community, school.
In my free time, I love to read, travel, knit, enjoy this other great hobby.

And these are normal answers. Even good ones. But thing is, all this tells me is what you do. It tells me the roles you fill and the activities you busy yourself with, but it doesn’t give me insight into who you are. 

It doesn’t tell me that you’re empathetic or insightful, driven or passionate. It doesn’t tell me that you’re nurturing, creative or stubborn. With these answers, I can’t see your optimism or discernment or even your merciful heart.

And that’s okay, really. When we’re asked who we are, these normal answers are expected and are okay to share. The problem lies when we look in the mirror and all we see are our positions and our posts. We’ve stopped paying attention to who we are outside of them; who would be left standing if all those things were stripped away?

We talked yesterday about making our list of things God says about us to help rewrite our negative internal story. In addition to that list, we need to make a list of who we are outside of the roles and responsibilities we have in our life. You may be a wife and a mom, but who were you before the wedding? Who were you before you became a mom? That person still stands, with or without a spouse or child.

God created you to be loved, redeemed, and holy. But He also made you uniquely you. Maybe what makes you a good mom is that you’re nurturing. Maybe what makes you a good employee is your tenacity. Maybe you paint or write or make other art because of your ability to see things from a unique perspective.

Let’s stop confusing our attributes with our activities. Who you are is what makes you able to fulfill roles to the glory of God. Let’s remember her, and let her stand boldly.

“May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, [indwelling your innermost being and personality], so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith.” (Ephesians 3:16-17, Amplified)

—Monica