My plan is to continue with the Friday Unmasked series, whenever there is a story to share. In the meantime, here is an authentic lesson from my own life, which I’ve been learning – yet again!
I am looking forward to sharing at a women’s breakfast tomorrow morning. The title of this blog is lifted from my talk, although what I share below is not a sneak preview of the content 😉 So often I think we can cling to roles, and yet here is a reminder to look to God alone for our identity:
It’s often the very first question after we’ve been introduced to someone: ‘So, what do you do?’ That perpetuates the tendency we all have to link who we are with what we do. And yet we are so much more than our jobs.
A series of events and experiences in recent months has reminded me that I am not what I do – that my identity needs to be 100 per cent fixed on who I am in Christ, otherwise I will be shaken.
You see, God opened some doors of opportunity for me. I didn’t look for them – they were very definitely a gift from Him. I was really taken aback, and grateful, as they were all writing jobs.
Then circumstances beyond my control changed, and one of the jobs shifted significantly. My immediate response was to feel anxious and unsure of myself (even though I had just realised that ‘adventure’ really WAS the word God was giving me for the year). Oh Lord did you really need to pick that one?! I questioned Him, asking why He had given me something only to take it away again. I also felt defensive – worried that my reputation could be affected even though the changes had nothing to do with me.
God then spoke clearly to me about how, yet again, I was clinging onto roles – albeit legitimate ones – rather than Him to define who I am. I felt the challenge to let go and trust Him for what I would be doing workwise day by day.
God was incredibly gracious and confirmed that to me through words spoken by people I had only just met and therefore didn’t know my situation at all. And now, a few months later, I have now seen how God has been orchestrating everything behind the scenes. There are new opportunities on the horizon that I can see utilise my giftings and embrace what I feel called to. They reflect who I am, rather than me reflecting a role I have. It’s all been a matter of trusting God – and I still need to (believe me it hasn’t been easy at times) – but I’m beginning to discover what His amazing love and care has been achieving.
It can be really hard not to equate who we are with what we do for the majority of hours we are awake each day. And yet God has been reminding me to keep my eyes firmly fixed on Him alone as my source of security and identity. Yes it’s a lesson He has taught me many times before, but I know I need to keep being reminded of it – and I suspect that is true for many of you too.