Before we get started today, I’ll give you a little background about how I was introduced to the Identity Statement and why I needed to write my own.
I attended a women’s conference a couple of years where the speaker talked about an identity statement and how we should all have one. That got my attention.
I was going through a rocky time at work and that was a problem. You see, my job was my identity, so any problem there was the high-impact kind. My job was the idol in my life, only I didn’t know it. But wait! I’m a God Girl. I was in church. Saved. Serving.
Over time, my job had become my focus, above all else. The only source of fulfillment, or so I thought. So why did every success seem “not enough” somehow? I soon realized that my not enough perspective spread farther than my work. It covered my life like a fog.
Some days were clearer than others. Days when I accomplished something, passed an audit, conducted an audit, passed another test, earned a degree, earned another degree. All of it related to work accomplishments. I must be “almost enough” by now, right? No.
The conference that year was much smaller, more intimate than it had been over the years we’d been attending, and that made it special. It was an annual event that I coordinated with the women of our church (another feather in my cap). When Suze Farr started talking Identity Statement, I started listening. The part of her message was relatively short, but it had a profound impact on my life.
I tossed the idea around for a while before starting the process of developing my statement. I wanted to be honest with myself, I wanted to change.
A word of caution. This is not for the faint of heart but, go for it even if you are. Writing your identity statement is worth every bit of the effort and emotions involved. I can promise you two things, you won’t be alone in the process and you will be stronger when you put a period at the end of it (Joshua 1:9).
In the beginning, all my focus turned inward, to that “not enough” place. The first drafts weren’t what I expected. The words too fat, too old, and never were scattered across the line I’d written. They were ugly, but they reflected what I believed.
This is not what God says. He says we are loved, and He showed us just how much by sending His son here to die for me and you (John 3:16). We are set apart, holy, because of His substitutionary death for our forgiveness and He is waiting with open arms to be filled with His beloved children (2 Corinthians 6:18). His capacity is infinite.
(2 Corinthians 6:18)
I wept while reading my first drafts, sad about how I saw myself. I wept and prayed for clear thinking and the ability to see myself from God’s perspective. This requires a shift in focus from self to God. Making that shift is doable, friends.
Have you experienced the same foggy days I have? Are you sure about who you really are in Christ? Why not find out?
Always remember, He promised to be with us every step of the way (Hebrews 13:5).
31 Days of Five Minute Friday Free-Writes, it’s a writing challenge hosted by Kate Motaung over at Five Minute Fridays. We write daily for five minutes using a prompt Kate provides. The point is to write. The prompt today is TEST.
