The Truth About our Identity – Part 1
As I mentioned in a previous blog, I was asked to be on a panel again as I had been at the last SHE – Girl’s Night Out at my church last year. Well, not exactly like the previous panel because there were four of us on that panel. This year, I was a panel of one! They called it “19 Minutes with Nana”!
After yummy food, checking out merchandise at many booths and beautiful praise and worship, it was SHOW TIME! A young mama asked me specific questions regarding our self-identity. I haven’t spoken too much about our “identity” in my blogs before so I thought I’d break down my responses in the next few days because this is such an important topic – not just for women, but for men and women!
The first question asked was “How have you navigated your identity through the shifting seasons of your life?”
ME: “Navigating our identity can be a work-out – especially in these times when we have 24/7 access to view the best parts of everyone else’s lives right here on our phones. We know exactly how we measure up against everyone else and we think our body isn’t good enough, our wardrobe isn’t trendy enough, our vacations aren’t exotic enough and our home isn’t Joanna Gaines enough. It might even make us feel like we aren’t enough.
I haven’t had it all together all my life. I started out as a shy, insecure, and afraid little girl. My daddy was very sick with a brain tumor. After the surgery to remove the tumor, I was the first one to find him having a serious convulsion. And, on top of that, daddy was more like a sibling to me after the surgery. And when my mom wasn’t working, he had most of my mom’s attention. Mom never gave me “the talk”.
All the other girls started maturing with their bodies rounding out quite nicely. I wore my gym clothes underneath my school clothes so I wouldn’t have to reveal what I didn’t have yet. But, really, navigating my identity has always been in my relationship with Jesus, our great Navigator. I was just 8-years-old when I gave my heart to Him. The same year that my daddy was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Jesus has been my True North, my Navigator and the One Who keeps me in a gratitude mode for all the blessings in my life.
Fast forward to today….and I look back and see how that season prepared me for my future that had some rocky roads ahead. Gratitude was the key for me in every season. One of the greatest ways of navigating our lives starts with gratitude for what we have.
On my 70th birthday my precious daughter Shawntel had the children and grandchildren write on separate pieces of paper why they love Nana. There is nothing like seeing and hearing words of love, affirmation, and encouragement that helps with our self-esteem. Later she had all those words printed on a beautiful large canvas that I see every day. Words like: “You are a prayer warrior; you taught me how to journal; you laugh so hard you pee; you are the best mommy in the world; you are the best nana in the world; you are a woman of God; you are so much fun; you send a text to help us start every morning right; you believe in me!”
It was an eye-opener. And to turn that around — instead of us thinking about our own self-identity so much, perhaps God is asking us to be his allies in encouraging others with how beautiful they are, how important they are to us, how they make a difference in our lives. There’s nothing like a compliment that can boost someone’s morale and self-esteem.
You see “identity” starts with I. I-dentity which is about ME – ME- ME. But the truth is found in Jesus’ greatest commandment “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul and mind AND love your neighbor as you love yourself. God is the great I-AM-dentity. “Greater is HE Who is in ME than He that is in the world.” He is ENOUGH!
(Stay tuned for Question #2 responses tomorrow)