What you do is important but who you are is far more valuable. What you do is a product of who you are.
I’M COMING FOR YOU TODAY! Just not in the way that you may be thinking 😉
Sometimes you have to be reminded of who you are apart from the roles that you fill, the work that you do, and the labels that the world tries to impress upon you. Take a journey back to the essence of who you were created to be and the innate nature of your being.
This may be easy for you or it may be challenging for you but I want you to SAY (like out of your mouth) who you are without using titles or labels, i.e., wife, mom, entrepreneur, etc.
As much as I love being a mom, I am a person first. The way I mother my children flows from who I am as a person. And so on for all of the other titles, roles, or labels. This applies to you too!
You are valuable. What you do is important but who you are is far more valuable. What you do is a product of who you are. When the layers are peeled back … WHO ARE YOU?
Identity
Identity … the one word that many are searching for and everyone learns in a deeper way in every stage of life. I’ve heard it said before that life is a journey of searching and discovery of who one is. I believe that true self searching and discovery is met with searching and discovery of the Creator of the Universe. When you come face to face with self, you come face to face with God. You don’t see the created without seeing the Creator.
Identity is defined as:
the condition or character as to who a person or what a thing is; the qualities, beliefs, etc., that distinguish or identify a person or thing.
I believe that with every stage, every next level, you must ask … Who Am I? You were intricately made. The DNA of who you are runs deep. As you continue to search … as you remain in a place of discovery, there are wells of dormant creativity being awakened.
So I ask you again, WHO ARE YOU?
Part 1
So here’s the thing …
I asked you earlier to say out of your mouth who you are. I was asking you to have a moment of introspection to say out what you think about yourself.
The truth is that even the “confident” can find themselves in a season where they are questioning who they are. You may can relate to this or even find yourself in this place right now. So, I want you to pay attention to what you think about you because what you think about you matters. And I am challenging what you think about yourself.
Remember, what you do is a product of who you are. What you think about you informs what you do.
So let’s walk this out:
Write out who you are in a small paragraph. An example is below. You can add more to it if you like.
My name is _____________. I am ____________. I am ____________. I walk in __________. I love ____________. I believe ___________.
So allow me to introduce myself …
My name is LayTonia. I am a Queen. My name literally means Queen so every time my name is said that is what is being spoken over me. I am a woman who loves Jesus. I am a woman of dignity, integrity, and honor. I am a Khayil woman. I walk in power and authority. I love to learn and I am hardwired to see meaning in everything, literally, everything. I’m a deep thinker. I am bold and resilient. I am passionate and protective by nature of those whom I love and what I believe in. I believe that the simplicities of life are found in the complexities of life.
Now, it’s your turn! Write it out … And then SAY it out loud. Say it with confidence. This is the time where it is just you and you that you are talking to.
Part 2
Part 1 was all about what you think about yourself. This next part is all about what God thinks and says about you.
There are times that what you think about yourself is not what He thinks of you. This next level is tapping into places of you that you may not have known existed. So …
- Read Ephesians … the whole book of Ephesians, all 6 chapters! This may be your first time reading this. If so, great! Enjoy your process. You may have already read it before. You may say to yourself, “I’ve read Ephesians like ____ times.” (insert your number there) “I already know what it says.” BUT I want to challenge you to read it again. There is something fresh that God wants to reveal to you about you and Him in this particular time and season. Keep an open mind, humble heart, and enjoy your process.
- Write out who He says that you are and why He says that you are that. This process will lead you to other places in the bible outside of Ephesians. Expect it and go with it. Write those out too!
- Compare what you wrote in Part 1 to what you wrote in Part 2. Where are the similarities and where are the differences?
- Choose whether you will accept what God says about you over what you think about you.
When you realize your true identity, purpose is in tow. Your purpose is embedded in your identity.
There is something about being in the presence of God that reminds you of who you are!
NOW is the time to trust that God has made you in His likeness, His image. NOW is the time for you to stand in the truth of who you are. NOW is the time to let your light shine for God’s glory.
Your confidence and boldness is trust in who God is and who He says that you are. It is trust in God’s power, the power that works within you. It is trust in what He says you can do.
The thing is He is willing. The question is ARE YOU WILLING?
Are you willing to believe what He says? Are you willing to respond by walking it out?
Not quite done yet …
Now, TELL someone TODAY who you are apart from the titles, roles, or labels. Tell them whether they ask you are not. Tell your spouse, your child(ren), mother, father, co-worker. Tell someone TODAY who you are. Tell someone today who God says that you are!
Have fun and Be Fabulous On Purpose!
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With Love,
LayTonia
P.S., Always Remember …
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