Who are you?

Well, the “no,” the “F,” the one pink line instead of two, the switch from “Mrs.” back to “Ms.,” the lay off, the dreaded 2 am phone call; are all outcomes that we tend to use to identify ourselves as failures and mistakes inadequate and condemned.

But it’s one thing to be affected by outcomes. It’s another thing to be defined by them.

Our identity is who we believe ourselves to be at the core. It is always found in our god. Your god is that which you can’t help but seek and follow because you believe its promises offer the greatest joy. If that happens to be someone, some thing, or some outcome other than Christ, the Cross, and what He calls you to, you have trusted an idol. No idol—the marriage, the job, the child, the loved one—can infuse our lives with meaning, value, or eternal hope.

Those thirsts are only quenched through a relationship with Christ, the One True God.

Things didn’t go as planned. So be it. Own your mistake. Appreciate the wisdom gained. Get support. Process it. Learn from the past. Take responsibility. Forgive. But do all of it knowing that you are still His daughter. You are still exceedingly loved (Romans 5:8), forever chosen (1Pet 2:9), graciously redeemed (Col 1:14), befriended (Jn 15:15), and fondly thought of by God Himself (Ps 139:17-18)!