Whose then Who

Originally, I was going to write about PURPOSE until a sassy, slightly hippy therapist said to me “how do you know purpose unless you know WHOSE you are?”. She is right. Talking about purpose before the basics of WHOSE we are is like drinking milk and then eating cereal, and that's just plain silly. 

If we can ever fully grasp WHOSE we are, we will be able to fully live in WHO we are. 

Continually finding worth in ourselves and depending on our own abilities will do nothing but cause unnecessary pressure we weren't ever designed to carry. And you know what happens with pressure over time? Pressure over time causes explosions or collapse. (I'll take neither sir!)

I've met many people who believed they were responsible for their own success. In fact I dated a guy who had a very funny view on things: if things went well it was his own doing, if things went wrong he would blame God. (this whole stupid mindset is something we will address together later, because I've believed this silliness too...) I've always posed the question to people who find success in their own ability: “isn't that an awful lot of pressure to think every thing that happens to you good or bad is up to you?”. Most have some run-a-round answer that causes me to doze off.

Let me make this clear:

YOU ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN SUCCESS.

You are a child of a Man who created the entire world in a matter of days and took the time to put freckles on my face and make that one hair that always goes the wrong way; I'm pretty sure our lives are easy-peasy for Him. Why not take the pressure offer yourself and lay that burden down at His feet. Surrender is scarier when we think of it than it actually is. ( I said SCARIER than we think it is, I DID NOT say it wasn't difficult not to pick it up once we lay it down) One of my current favorite music obsessions (besides Miranda Lambert, I LOVE that take-no-prisoners woman!) is All Sons and Daughters and one of their wonderful lyrics from their song “From Dawn to Dusk” says perfectly what I'm trying to get across “tomorrow's freedom is today's surrender”.

You are a daughter of the day, a son of the light (1 Thessalonians 5:5). You have been bought with price, adopted into a the family of a King.

We aren't supposed to walk around haughty but rather confident that as we walk in relationship with the Creator,

He guides our steps and is lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. (Psalm 119:105) I take that as we seek Him, He provides direction for this moment and wisdom for the future.

(Oh! And if He isn't saying anything for this moment, BE STILL per Psalms 46:10) The beauty of accepting whose you are is that you begin to realize what you are because with the acceptance of a daughter or son of the Creator you realize you are:

• blessed “ The Lord bless you, my daughter” (Ruth 3:10)
• not alone “And the Lord is with him” ( 1 Samuel 16:18)
• strong “ ...for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10)
• radiantly beautiful “ those who look to Him are radiant” (Psalms 34:4)
• not fearful “...it does not fear when heat comes...” (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

Today I challenge you to not focus on

what you are NOT but what you ARE. And when thoughts creep in to bring you down, remind those thoughts you are a child of the Creator of the Universe and that Satan's words have no hold on you. Remind him and yourself that you are blessed, not alone, strong, radiantly beautiful and not afraid. I pray today that the Lord would surround you, He would hem you in and draw you close to Him; and you would feel His hand upon you today.

“ You hem me in – behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me”

Psalm 139:5