You say who I am.
There are so many words swirling around us every day. Some of those words come from our own heart and mind. Some are echoes spoken by others in moments long passed. Others are formless yet, their meaning is vividly portrayed in pictures that speak to our deepest imagination. Often, lost in it all, are the words gently whispered for the benefit of our soul that we all too easily miss. One of the reasons I’m here (and I suspect you are to) is to hear His words.
To let his Word reshape our lives.
You and I have set aside this moment, to take notice of the storm of words that have been battering our hearts and to let Jesus speak them into silence. All while he balms our wounds with HIS words.
We are starting something new. That comes with all sorts of feelings, anxieties, and excitement. As we start this new thing, I invite you to speak his words over your worry, awkwardness, fatigue, hurt, shortcomings and weakness. Picture this, God is your biggest fan standing right next to you. When those joy-sucking words start to creep back in - “can’t”, “not enough”, “silly”, “ridiculous”…you know the ones - He is elbowing the lady next to you saying, “Hey, check out my girl she is energetic and strong - a hard worker. That’s my girl!” (That’s my lose translation of Proverbs 31:17)
I am who he says I am.
That’s right, “Lord, I am who YOU SAY I AM!”
This group is comprised of as many different backgrounds and experiences as there are people in it. There is a good chance that most (if not all) of us are working our way through what wellness looks like through the eyes of our heavenly Father. We get duped into believing that we need to look, feel and/or act like the world says healthy people act if we are going to be well. As you step into this next chapter, I encourage you to consider the story of Saul and David.
Israel was led by the LORD as their king for years following leaving Egypt, wandering in the wilderness and through their many conquests for the Promised Land. Then there was a period of judges that helped guide the ever-wandering people by showing them where they had strayed and how to come home to their LORD and king. However, (like us) they kept looking around at what others had and did to see what might work better for them. They ended up devoting their lives to things and wasting their time on meaningless (and even harmful) rituals. When things really started falling apart and Nahash, the bully king next door, was kicking their hind-ends because they had long forgotten how to serve the LORD, they begged Samuel to ask “his” God for a king (1 Samuel 10:27) . Samuel knows it’s a bad idea from the start, but the LORD refuses to force his creation to follow him.
They wanted to look and act like the nations around them, so Saul was anointed king. He was tall and handsome - never mind he was literally hiding in the baggage when the Lord announced he was the first king (doesn’t his courage just make you swoon? *insert eyeroll here*). Saul was ushered into his kingdom basically immediately with all the pomp and circumstance that came along with it. Yet, it becomes clear pretty quickly that he cared more about what other expected him to do than truly seeking to follow God. He made it look good and churchy, but it was all fake. So much so that God rejects him as king, sends Samuel to anoint another guy (yeah, that’s David) all while Saul was still walking and talking the part of king.
David on the other hand - flawed as he was - lived true humility. He knew he was the king because God said so, but even in this knowing he went back to the fields. He spent around 15 years not looking like a king by the world’s standards, but living like one by God’s. He was able to do some amazing things but also went through some very tough times while walking out God’s idea of character building for a king.
We have the choice to be a Saul or a David. Will we say it’s all for Jesus while still really trusting in calories counted, minutes logged, sizes noted, or macros met because that’s what the “healthy” people say to do. Or will we accept the truth of who we are - “Strong, energetic - a hard worker” - and trust the process that our King uses to shape our character?
We’re not here for show. We’re here to grow. So, step aside you Nahash’s of the world, you don’t scare us! We don’t need your twisted, “fix-it” ways. We are going to let the real King transform us from the inside out!
Word to Know:
She is energetic and strong,
a hard worker.
Proverbs 31:17
My prayer (you’re welcome to make it your own or simply join in)
God, thanks for always being in my corner. Sorry I get distracted and think there are better answers in the world’s wisdom. Sorry I act more like Saul than David all too often. I want a heart after your own heart. I want to treat my body as your temple and believe your truths about me. Help me in my weakness. Grow my character. Thank you for the friendships you are already building in my life and the lives of those around me. We need you and you created us to need each other also. I’m excited to learn the lessons you have for me as you grow your fruit in my life. I love you and am so glad you keep working on me! In Jesus’ name, let it be.
Dig Deeper:
Check out the story of Samuel, Saul and David in depth here 1 Samuel 15 - 31 and 1 Chronicles 10:13-14)
