Coming in HOT
Identity is who I am in Christ and what the bible says about me.
I’m coming in HOT: Humble Open Transparent. A phrase I learned from Transformation Church based in Tulsa, OK. I’ve been writing for Created Woman for a year now. Our writers have due dates to meet in order to get our devotionals to our editor, receive feedback, make adjustments, and have a new devotional published online Tuesdays and Thursdays weekly. For anyone who knows me, I’m known for being early or on time. As I’m typing this I am past my own due date, which is always earlier than the true due date.
Why am I sharing this? It was difficult to write this devotional. This month’s Created Woman pillar is Identity: We often try to live up to the labels we give ourselves, or others give us and forgo the inheritance we have in Christ.
I am not feeling very much like my usual self, my identity: confident, decisive, strong, attractive. Instead, I am not feeling comfortable in my own skin. My thoughts in the last month or so have not been of those that are pure, righteous, noble, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). I’m going through menopause and I’ll tell you, I’m not a fan. I’m experiencing weight gain, inconsistent sleep, hot flashes, and unhealthy thoughts about myself.
A couple of weeks ago, I woke up about 30 minutes before sunrise. I tossed and turned trying to fall back asleep. I felt a nudge to get up, spend time with God, and watch the sunrise. I poured my heart out to the Lord with tears and transparency. Then I listened. Silence on my back porch as I watched the sun rising. “Stacy, spend time with me and in your bible standing on what I say about you. Your identity is in me. In your weakness, only I can make you strong. In your insecurity, only I can make you confident. In your pain, I will heal your heart and mind. Stick close to me no matter how you feel about yourself.” There it was. Peace, as I listened to what the Lord was speaking to my heart.
A couple days after that a friend who is also going through menopause pointed me in the right direction with a resource that has been helpful with tips for overall health during this season. I feel better. I will overcome in this season by the grace of God. Am I still struggling with menopause? Yes. Menopause isn’t my identity. Jesus Christ and what the bible says about me is my identity.
Reflection
What 2-3 words do you, or friends and family, use to describe who you are? Do you agree or disagree with those words? Please share.
Share a time that you poured out your heart in tears and transparency to God. What was the outcome or what did God place on your heart during that interaction?
What is one thing you could do that would move you one step closer to knowing your identity in Christ?
Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.” (Ephesians 2:7-10 MSG)
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37-39 NIV)
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