Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Who Am I?

As most of us mentioned in our blog posts about our time hearing Beth Moore, the theme/ idea of the whole conference was to remind ourselves (DAILY): "I am an heiress." She told us to get up, first thing in the morning and look in the mirror and say to ourselves, "I am an heiress. I may be a little rough around the edges, but I am an heiress!" (keeping in mind it's first thing in the morning). I loved that she mentioned that she tells her husband Keith, who leaves for work before she is "fixed", "Remember how cute I was last night when we went to dinner? Or last week, in that precious skirt? I want you to think of me that way today. Not like this." I told Troy that last week when he left for work while I was staggering out of bed when Riley had a stomach bug. Glasses, furry robe, disheveled hair, and who-knows-what kind of breath. I told him to remember me cute! I'm sure that was a stretch for him -- and it was especially hard to look in the mirror and declare: "I am an heiress!"

That whole concept has been a struggle for me since Beth introduced it. Through words she said over that weekend, I came to realize that I don't doubt God's love for me in the least. I KNOW He loves me beyond what I will ever imagine. HOWEVER, I have come to realize I do doubt His ability to do things in me and through me. My doubts place my own human limitations on the creator of the universe. No, you don't have to do it: I'm 'tsk, tsk-ing' at myself. I evidently need to read this book. God able to use ANYone to do ANYthing is an idea/ concept that I have given lip-service to all of my life, as well as even seen in action, but my flesh, fears and doubts override that too often. I have de-valued my place in His kingdom. I have traded my birthright as an heiress for a little bowl of security stew here on earth.

With this thought in my head, God has really been hammering me with who I am in Him. And, being like He tends to be, He is ever-so-subtle about it. I was just plugging away, daily Bible reading, going in my little order, and here I land in 2 Corinthians this week. Love both of the Corinthian letters. And God used 2 Corinthians, letters that have been in His word for thousands of years, to remind me who I am through Him.

I first thought of it when I hit one of my all-time favorite verses, 2:14:

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and
through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.

  • So... I am the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.

    Verse 3 of chapter 3 says:
You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written
not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but
on tablets of human hearts.
  • I am a letter -- from Christ himself!

    3:18:
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being
transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the
Lord, who is the Spirit.
  • I reflect the Lord's glory.


4:5:
For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your
servants for Jesus' sake.

  • I preach Christ as Lord, and preach myself as your servant.

4:10
We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus
may also be revealed in our body.

  • I carry the death of Jesus in my body so that the LIFE of Jesus may be revealed (this one is HUGE to me).

4:16:
Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by
day.

  • I am being renewed day by day (it doesn't matter that I am STILL screwing up -- I'm also still being made new!!)

5:17:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the
new has come!

  • I am a new creation (can I get a 'hallelujah'!!)

5:20:
We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal
through us.

  • I am an ambassador for Christ.
Oh, gracious, I am overwhelmed with all that the Lord has entrusted to me. Oh, and I was reminded yesterday: God is not just good, he's smart. I really had to think on that one... and since he's smart, I guess it's okay to trust all that He has entrusted to me. And KNOW that I will mess it up. And KNOW that He will forgive, and bless, and grow me, for I am being made new day by day.

May you find who you are in Him.

2 Espressos To Go!:

Roxanne said...

Oh. . .those are some of my FAVORITE verses. . .they always make me feel like I can do ANYTHING. I needed to read those tonight.

Susan said...

Good thoughts, Sara Lu! I especially like what you told Troy - to remember you cute.

I have a long time friend who has been through some bad stuff - - divorced from a "good for nothing" ex minister (i.e. a poor lost soul in need of God's redeeming love)and yet she wakes up every morning and goes into the bathroom, looks in the mirror and tells herself, "You are so cute. You are just adorable." She is confident in God's love for her and she believes she is beautiful. And you know what? She is!