The Gift of You

Did you know that Jesus chose you? Have you heard that you are a valued treasure in Heaven? Are you aware that the Creator of the universe knows every single detail about you, including your specific fingerprint? 1 Peter 2:9 says, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” 

The reality that this verse portrays is wild. God, who created the universe and works outside of time – God, who knows all things and transcends beyond our earthly understanding – decided that He wanted you. He doesn’t need you, He just loves you and wants you. He longs to be near to you, He craves your attention, and He desires to spend time with you. 

It is God’s greatest joy to choose you, to love you, and to know you. He pursues your heart, He celebrates your victories, and He holds your tears. Do you know what this means?

You get to see yourself as a gift. 

You get to look in the mirror with pride and say, “I am a gift. I am chosen. I am special. I am loved.” If you’re saying things like, “I am a mess, I am a terrible mother, I am not an attractive wife. I can’t do anything right. I must not deserve good friends,” then you are not honoring God’s gift. You are precious in His sight and He meticulously crafted you. Anything that does not line up with what God has spoken over you, should not be vocabulary in your self talk. Negative self talk is essentially offending God, since you’re insulting His gift. You wouldn’t look at something your early dad made and say, “That is trash. Why would anybody love that?” So, friend, why are you saying those things to yourself? 

Maybe now you understand how important you are. Hopefully your heart has grasped how special God made you to be. How do you live this out? How do you deeply root God’s love in your heart and arm your mind with this truth?

You start by recognizing that because God made you and chose you, it’s important to live authentically. God made a particular version of you. Not the instagram version, not the PTA mom version, not the perfect church leader version – the real you. The one that knows who she is and lives from that place. The one who lives with honesty, integrity, and high regard for herself. 

One of the greatest gifts we can give others is ourselves – present and authentic. 

When my kids were younger I put so much pressure on myself to make sure that everyone knew I was a good mother. I wanted people to see that I had it all together and I felt like if they saw me in weakness, they would not accept me. I crowned myself with false expectations and that drove me to feeding perfectionism, at any cost. My identity was lost somewhere between the badge of being the mom who did it all right and being a good wife. Along the way, I labeled myself with things like, “Unworthy, broken, messy.” I forgot that God in his merciful kindness chose me. He sent Jesus to save me, redeem me, and call me by name; daughter. 

I began to realize that it didn’t matter what people thought of me as a mother, it only mattered how God saw me. My world shifted when my focus turned to Jesus. Everything in my life turned for the better when I focused on Jesus. 

In that season I asked myself these three questions, “Who am I? Where do I belong? What am I supposed to do?” I am a daughter of the King. I belong close to Jesus, worshiping Him in spirit and truth. I am supposed to set my eyes on Him and not lose focus. 

Practically, I asked friends to keep me accountable. I put sticky notes with Biblical truths all over the house. I made quiet time a priority and I worshiped often. Renewing my mind wasn’t always the easy choice but it was the life-saving choice. I couldn’t let myself go back to brokenness, so I had no other choice. I didn’t give myself any margin to think negatively about myself. I put worship music on when I didn’t feel like it and asked my friends to keep me accountable when I didn’t want to. The renewing of your mind comes when you die to yourself. I had to deny my fleshly desires so that I could become the best version of myself, in Jesus. 

Psalm 139:13-15 says, “You formed my innermost being, shaping my delicate inside and my intricate outside, and wove them all together in my mother’s womb. 14 I thank you, God, for making me so mysteriously complex! Everything you do is marvelously breathtaking. It simply amazes me to think about it! How thoroughly you know me, Lord! 15 You even formed every bone in my body when you created me in the secret place; carefully, skillfully you shaped me  from nothing to something.” 

This verse should remind you that God deeply cares about you. He picked out the number of hairs on your head, He gave you a specific personality and He has a great plan for your life. 

As mothers, it is easy to get our identity wrapped up in being a mom or being a wife. No matter where you are at in your journey of motherhood, I encourage you to seek the Lord. Ask Him daily who he says you are. Let His words wash over your heart and mind, let them solidify your identity and take root. Remember that you are not alone. You are not what you do, you are not just a mother, you are not just a wife, you are not just a chauffeur or a maid – you are chosen. You are a gift, so embrace who you truly are and let that light shine through.