Your Identity Is In Him {Day Two}

Welcome to day two in a 31 day series

31 Days To Becoming His Pearl

Here's the thing.

Identity is everything.

Everything.

If we do not know who we are and whose we are- we are missing the foundation that everything else in our life is built upon.

Every, single thing in our life flows out of the very core of our being.

If the core is out of order. Or broken. Or damaged. Or is even just really lacking in truth.

Every, single thing in our life will flow out of disorder, brokenness, damage or lack of truth.

Daughters tend to receive their identity from their Fathers.

Our Fathers are called to demonstrate on earth who our Father is in heaven. 

And who we are to Him.

And sometimes, this doesn't happen.

And so we are lacking in the area of identity and spend the biggest part of our life trying to gain identity in and through people, places and things.

His word says this....

You live and move and have your being in me.  ( Acts 17:28)

We live and move and have our being in Him.

In Him.

In Him.

In Him.

Let that soak in for just a minute.

So let's look at that truth this way ....

Here is what His word does not say...

We do not live and move and have our being by who our earthly parents are.

Or by who other people say or think we are.

Or by the choices we've made.

Or by the mistakes we've made.

Or by who we are married to.

Or not married to.

Or by how many degrees we have hanging on the wall.

Or don't have hanging on the wall.

Or by whether or not we are accepted and embraced by others.

Or what street we live on. Or what kind of home we live in.

Or by any sickness or disease that has tried to steal, kill and destroy us.

Or by the worlds standard of beauty.

Don't even get me started on that one. I will spin out a 7 day mini series within this series.

Or by the numbers on a scale, or the tag inside a dress, or the balance in your bank account.

There isn't a stitch of identity within any of the above mentioned.

Even though the world will try its best to tell us different and prove us wrong.

If we are rooted and grounded in Him.

If our identity is rock solid and connected and tied to the living God who tells us that we 

are His and that we are accepted and beloved and called and chosen and anointed and appointed and loved and adored and that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. 

Nothing can separate us from that.

Nothing can separate us from His love.

Know the truth and the truth will set you free.

Free from what?

Free from a life of feeling less than. Free from measuring and comparing ourselves up against every

one and everything else. Free from a life of striving and trying to earn His love and His good graces. Free from a life of being tossed every which way but Sunday. Free from a life of wanting to please everybody and their Mama and attaching our worth and our value and our identity to their response- or the lack there of.

This was never part of His plan.

His plan was always for each and every single one of us to be fully known and fully loved. 

To be rooted and grounded in Him and in His word.

His word is living and breathing and sharper than any two-edged sword.

It is living and breathing.

It is life-giving.

It is alive.

We have to read it and soak in it and relish in it and apply it for it to have power in our own lives.

There are pages upon pages in His word that address identity.

I know from experience that reading the bible can feel like a daunting task.

I know.

I can remember years ago, opening the bible and reading from the beginning and reading about how He spoke everything into existence and reading about how so and so begot so and so and how Cain and Able had some issues and on and on....

And I would close it.

And I would say this....

God, I don't care. I don't care about this stuff.

I can't pay my bills and my lights have been cut off for the tenth time and I have a beautiful baby girl and no wedding ring on my left hand and this trailer we are living in makes me feel like the trash that everybody says that I am and there is an ache inside my heart that feels like the worst physical pain I have ever felt in my entire life and God, I don't even know if you are real or if a Holy God could possibly even love a girl like me. Because by the looks of my life- I'm not sure if you even are real or if  you do really, actually love me.

Identity crisis anyone?

I can relate beautiful friends.

From the deepest part of me- I know.

I know that for some of you who may be reading this, there are tears right now.

And so, what I want to gently ask you and encourage you with,  is this...

Those tears mean something.

Those tears need to be replaced with identity.

There are places and spaces inside each and everyone of us that need truth.

Places that need the living God to speak and breathe and heal with His power and love.

Places within each one of us that can never be filled with food or shopping or jewelry or friendship or marriage or babies or family or money or status or power or influence.

Nothing but Him sweet friends.

So I want to ask you today to open your bible and soak yourself with truth.

And open your journal to day two and write. 

Don't worry about order or handwriting or if it the words make sense or flow or anything like that.

Just write.

Talk with Him. Ask Him questions. Wait and listen for the answer. 

Listen for His sweet spirit to gently whisper truth.

I promise you He will. I promise you. (John 10:27) 

We serve a God who is the author of relationship. He is all about relationship. You cannot have a relationship with someone who doesn't speak. Or who doesn't communicate at all. 

He is a highly relational Father. He doesn't give us the silent treatment. He isn't emotionally absent.

He isn't unavailable or harsh or angry or counting up and keeping a list of all of our wrongs.

He is El Roi. The God who sees you. (Genesis 16:13) 

Put words to the tears. Put words to the ache. Put words to the places that you've never shared with a single soul.

Words have power.

Words have life.

Choose life.

The enemy wants to silence you.

But the living God wants to speak to you and through you today.

And He wants to uproot every, single thing that has tried to rob you of your true identity.

And He longs to replace it with what has belonged to you all along.

Your identity is in Him alone.

Walk in that truth today......

If you want to follow along with this series, all links will be posted on the landing page. Found here. 

The Beauty Is In The Process {Day One}

Welcome to Day One in a 31 Day Part Series

Becoming His Pearl

"They shall become mine says the Lord of hosts, on the day that I make them my jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves Him. " Malachi 3:17

Today I want to share about the process.

We know about process, don't we?

We know about being formed and even transformed.

We know about beauty breaking forth after a few seasons of suffering.

We know that in the kingdom- to lose is to gain.

We know that there is a dying that has to happen, in order to truly live.

We know we must be willing to lose our life, in order to find it.

All of these things are part of His process.

And so it is with a pearl.

A pearl is the only gemstone that is actually formed.

A pearl must be born.

It is born out of suffering.

Did you know that a parasite burrows into the side of an oyster shell and that the oyster

releases nacre as a defense mechanism to protect itself from the intruder.

It coats and covers the parasite again and again and again.

And during this process of protecting itself and fighting the enemy and trying to defend

home base....

Something beautiful begins to form inside the oyster.

Something with tremendous worth. 

Something with great value.

Something with a high price.

Something very beautiful and very significant.

A pearl.

Unlike diamonds that already exist and must be mined....

A pearl must go through a process before its beauty can be revealed.

It can take up to eight years for a single pearl to fully develop.

Seasons upon seasons.

A season of suffering. A season of being hidden. A season of being alone. 

I know you can relate....

The hope is that during our seasons of being refined, we learn how to allow His perfect work. We learn how to worship. We learn how to magnify. We learn how to offer up a sacrifice of praise. We learn how to leave things alone. We learn how to humble ourselves and allow the Father to have His way.

Because His ways are always best.

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." 1 Peter 2:9

Once a pearl is formed and brought forth "into His marvelous light" it does not return to the oyster shell again. Once it is brought forth, it is used for the displaying of His splendor.
It doesn't return to its shell. It doesn't return to the pit.

It is used for purpose. 

I want to encourage you not to despise the process.  If we attempt to cut the process short, by insisting and pushing and pressing our own way, we are ultimately telling God that we know what is best. That we know how to do things. That we've got this thing figured out. 

Despising the process is a form of unbelief.

If we can train our hearts and minds to be patient in affliction. To be grateful in all things.

To be still and know. To simply trust and obey and to believe that God is good- no matter what.

In His timing, He will bring forth a beauty that cannot be compared.

But we must submit to the process sweet friends.....

My hope is that you will read this post and feel encouraged and that you will lean into Him a little more when life hurts, as it sometimes does.

I want to recommend that you begin a 31 day journal and that you just begin to write.

Write your heart and your worries and your concerns and share those places and spaces with Him that could possibly be holding you back.

Areas of offense and wounds that never seem to heal.

Spaces inside where we may even be disappointed or angry with others or even with Him.

Places that want to keep us bound up so that we can never fulfill purpose.

Get it out and onto paper. 

Then just be still and listen.

Write down whatever you feel He may be speaking to you.

A scripture. A promise. A few words. An idea. A revelation. A truth.

Anything. 

He is always speaking....

You will be astounded at how much growth can happen in just a month of journaling and studying His word.

When we bring things into His marvelous light~ healing can take place.

And then we are positioning ourselves for purpose and for His glory to be revealed in each and every one of us.

"For the suffering of this present time is not worthy to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed in you."  Romans 8:18

31 Days To Becoming His Pearl {The Introduction}

Photos taken by Coleen Verner

Welcome to 31 Days To Becoming His Pearl Series

I've wanted to link up with The Nester's 31 Day series for several years now and finally decided to just leap and take up the writing challenge!

And although I absolutely love all things home and family and making things beautiful....

This topic is my passion and I have spent the last 9 years encouraging and teaching His daughters with the truths that I will share here over the next 30 days.

We serve a God who is longing to teach us and show us that we are more than enough...

He also wants to saturate our hearts with this truth,

We are not the oyster shell of our circumstances....

We are His.

His Pearl.

And in that truth there is power.

There is identity.

There is inheritance.

There is no comparison.

There is the ability to overcome.

There is absolutely no need to live life with an orphan mentality- ever again.

And so much more.

During the month of October I will share a little more each day to bring hope and encouragement and biblical truths to unravel and reveal the Pearl that has been within you all along.

So excited to walk with you and to watch Him display His splendor in the most magnificent ways!

Thank you for visiting and reading!

If you want to follow along with this series, this page will serve as the landing page and will host all of the links for each day in October.


Day 1 ~  The Beauty Is In The Process

Day 2 ~  Your Identity Is In Him

Day 3 ~ You Are Fully Known and Fully Loved

Day 4 ~ When Community Hurts and God Redeems

Day 5 ~ Grace Upon Grace

Day 6 ~ The Engraved Invitation

Day 7 ~ Your Gift Will Make Room For You

Day 8 ~ They Owe You Nothing 

Day 9 ~ Daddy's Girl

Day 10 ~

Day 11 ~

Day 12 ~

Day 13 ~

Day 14 ~

Day 15 ~

Day 16 ~

Day 17 ~

Day 18 ~

Day 19 ~

Day 20 ~

Day 21 ~

Day 22 ~

Day 23~

Day 24 ~

Day 25 ~

Day 26 ~

Day 27 ~

Day 28 ~

Day 29 ~

Day 30 ~

Day 31 ~

When You Feel Like You've Been Benched

This is a favorite spot of mine.

A place where I can sit and think and watch my babies run and romp and play.

A place where I can thank Him for so many things and offer up a sacrifice of praise.

Bench number 29 is right in the middle of a forest of beauty and feels like home to me.

A place to sit and soak in His presence when it feels like life has benched you- for the 29th time.

I come here to try and gather myself.

I sit and pour my heart out while my babies play on this bridge.

I sit in the sunshine and sometimes say nothing at all. I know He will be waiting for me there.

And other times,  I sit and spill the heartbreak that life can often bring.

Like when you feel that you have given your absolute best-

And life benches you anyway.

And you have to get up, show up and still practice day after day and you still have to wear the jersey in motherhood and as a wife and a daughter and a sister and friend and the like- but you've been benched.

And so many times life can feel like this as an adult.

As if there is some kind of permanent setback tied to your life.

Obstacles that seem insurmountable.

All the while, watching from the sidelines as person after person continues to hit the mark and win- game after game.

Season after season.

While you are scouring for what feels like the missing pages of your playbook.

Sometimes friendships can leave us feeling as though we've been benched.

Motherhood can leave us feeling as though we've been benched. Oh season after season....

And our role as a wife too.

Where finishing school, studying for professional exams, residency, new jobs and new positions within a demanding career path can take center court while we warm the bench.

Sometimes, it can feel like we are overlooked. Forgotten even.

And sometimes.....

Many times.

It can feel like we have been overlooked by Him.

When sickness and life struggles and job loss and a marriage that sometimes hurts and feels like two ships just passing in the night....

Life can feel like God doesn't see. Doesn't know. Doesn't hear our prayers....

But He specializes in showing up in seasons like this.

He hasn't forgotten you.

He sees.  He absolutely knows. And He most definitely hears your prayers.

He is the God who sees you sweet friend.

He is  EL  ROI-  "You are the God who sees me"- Genesis 16:13

He sees how many times you've been overlooked. Abandoned. Rejected. Cast down. Pushed aside.

He knows every, single hurt and sorrow and heartache you and I have.

I want to encourage you today that if this is the season you are in-

A season of setbacks and mistakes and even a few personal fouls.

Or a season of simply warming the bench....

Many great and remarkable things can happen during this season beautiful friend.

We are being developed and molded and pressed but not crushed, (2 Corinthians 4:8) so that when the full court press comes in like a flood- and it will come. 

We will not collapse.

We will faint not. (Gal. 6:9) 

We will persevere and push through and overcome in ways that eye has not seen, nor ear heard.
(1 Corinthians 2:9)

For our good and His glory. (Romans 8:28)

He is going before you and before me- even right now and making the necessary preparations
for a personal best season that is going to bring you into a place of victory you have never known.

He is no respecter of persons. (Acts 10:34)

He is a promise keeper. (Numbers 23:19)

So whether you feel benched as a wife, mother, friend, daughter, sister or person in general....

You serve a God who specializes in doing the impossible and using the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. (1 Corinthians 1:27) 

The last shall be first sweet friend.

I hope you listen to this new song by Mandisa as loud as humanly possible today....

Please.

Break the sound barrier. 

You are an overcomer.......