Who do you say you are?

Who do you say are?

And not just when you introduce yourself, although that matters, too, but first thing in the morning when you crawl out of bed and head to the bathroom and see yourself in the mirror. What do you say about yourself, out loud or in your head?

What do you say about yourself when you get to the car and realize you’ve forgotten your keys or your water bottle? Or when you’re late to the meeting or appointment? How about when you enter a room and feel like everyone else knows each other or knows more than you do or has some secret password or handshake that no one shared with you—what do you say about yourself then? What do you say about yourself when you trip and fall or knock something over or forget someone’s birthday or when that person who always intimidates you shows up?

I know some of the words that have popped into my head. And they aren’t phrases or adjectives I’d ever use to describe people I love. It matters what we say about ourselves, because these things we say train our brains to believe them. I don’t want to believe the lies of: not enough, in the way, disappointing, less than. Do you? And if we aren’t saying, “chosen, loved, adored, valued, treasured, hand-picked, gifted, empowered, equipped, or very good,” then we’re contradicting God. Because He says all these things about us in the Bible. If we speak poorly about ourselves we’re saying that who God says we are isn’t true. I don’t want to contradict God. He’s pretty much the authority on everything.

So let’s change the narrative.

We all, deep down, want to be loved and chosen, to be liked for our silliness and our quirkiness even when we mess up, are depleted, or feel gross.

The good news is… we are. Completely loved when we burn dinner, spill our drink on the white carpet, call someone by the wrong name, take the wrong turn, can’t accept the invite, don’t even get invited. YOU ARE SO COMPLETELY LOVED.

By the God of the Universe. The Creator of daffodils and constellations. The One who invented coffee beans and cacao beans and taste buds to savor them (thank you, Jesus!). The One who gave sound to the waves crashing on the shore and streams trickling and children giggling. That same God is positively crazy about you.

If I haven’t convinced you yet, to be careful with the language you use about yourself, look at it this way: as followers of Jesus we are called to follow Jesus, to live like He did to the best of our abilities. And who did Jesus say He was? The Good Shepherd. The Bread of Life. Living Water. The Way, Truth, and Life. He owned His royal identity. We can too.

What if the next time you’re tempted to say something derogatory about yourself instead you said, “I am the light of the world.” “I am Christ’s masterpiece.” or some other beautiful truth? I believe it will change things. It will help you live in your belovedness, in your chosen-ness. And when you do, the love you feel from Christ will overflow onto everyone you encounter, helping them also see the good God put inside of them. What a beautiful ripple effect this could have.

xo, Laura

For a great conversation about who God says we are with Hosanna Wong listen HERE

Looking for a summer Bible study? Brave Woman, Mighty God is so easy to implement! !

• 6 weeks (read stories of 5 women of the Bible each week )

• discussion questions at the end of each chapter so anyone can lead

• women in Mississippi, Nebraska, Texas, Virginia, Ohio, and Tennessee are already diving in!

• Message me in the comments for a free Leader’s Guide

Some of the links in the page above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”