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I find my favorite table in the back of the coffee shop. It’s square, scratched and accompanied by a chair the color of pencil lead. My back hurts if I sit too long here but I find myself seeking out this spot anyway like an old, familiar friend. I open my laptop, the one I’ve clicked on so much that there’s a circle the size of a dime on the space bar that’s worn clean through to the clear plastic. I can see the inner workings beneath it like a bra strap showing.
I check on the You’re Already Amazing Summer Study to see how folks are doing. We’re in Session One talking about our strengths, skills and who we’re called to serve. The section in the You’re Already Amazing LifeGrowth Guide makes it look as if it will be simple. There are charts of words for circling, neat lines for filling in the blanks. But there’s a bit of angst and protest in the group. This is harder than it seems, they say.
I nod in understanding because I’ve heard this from thousands of women. I’ve heard it from my own heart too. I’m going back through the LifeGrowth Guide with the group and I’m feeling challenged all over again. The only difference is that I’m no longer surprised.
I have come to understand that any time we try to discover more of who God made us, we will face resistance. A voice in our minds will whisper we’re selfish. We’ll be accused of being frauds. We’ll suddenly compare ourselves to every other woman in the world. We will, in other words, find ourselves at war.
On the surface, understanding who God created us to be seems like the soft side of things. But it is just the opposite. Because when we take hold of who we are, when we decide to be committed to the hard work of becoming, then we are serious threats to the darkness.
It is easier to be busy. It is safer to deal only with our schedules and to-do lists and not our hearts. It is even preferable to the enemy of our souls that we focus so much on others we ourselves almost cease to exist. Because there are few forces on this earth as powerful as a woman who knows who she is in Christ. Because then we are no longer living in our own power. We are tapping into the eternal and the spiritual and the indestructible.
We can go a lifetime without pausing to ask, “Who did God create me to be?” Answering this question will not show up on our calendars. It won’t land on our desk with a sticky note that says “urgent” scrawled across the top. It won’t knock on our door and demand to come in and be served a spaghetti dinner. No, who we are will wait, silently, in our hearts for us to come to it.
So if you do one thing today may it be this: Dare to start answering the question above. If you’re not sure how just begin by saying, “God, please begin to show me more of who You’ve made me.” He will answer that prayer.
Just this morning I felt the resistance again: Lies tried to shout in my ears. Fear reached for the hem of my yoga pants. But I know now that with Jesus we are stronger than the lies. We are braver than the fears. We are women created by God with an identity and destiny.
We are already beloved.
We are always becoming.
We are daughters of God, a beautiful and ever-growing force.
XOXO
Holley Gerth
– The You’re Already Amazing Summer Study is in progress. If you’d like to be part of a future study, sign up for book club news.
– If you’d like help discovering more about who God created you to be you’ll find it in You’re Already Amazing and the You’re Already Amazing LifeGrowth Guide.
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Welcome to the Coffee for Your Heart weekly link-up! You’re an encourager so I’m asking you to pour out a little love with your words every Wednesday {link-up goes live at 5:30am CST}. Simply write an encouraging blog post and then share it here. Don’t have a blog? You can still write an encouraging comment. If you’re reading this by email, go to holleygerth.com to see all the fun and join in too.
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I’m having Coffee For Your Heart with my friend Holley Gerth!
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