Mom-ing Through Faith: On Being You

What does God think about when He thinks about you? 

Kicking this Mom-ing Through Faith post off with a stop-me-in-my-tracks kind of question, huh? At least, it did, me, when one of the speakers posed this question at the Made+Known conference I attended back in March. 

Hmmm...what does God think of when He thinks of me? 

There are things I hope He thinks and there are things I hope He doesn't think. But the truth is, as the speaker pointed out that day, how He views you is...your true identity. He sees us. He knows us. He loves us anyway. I am working hard to be my true, authentic self, the best version of me, the version He sees and expects me to be. It's hard and I fail every day. But I keep trying. 

You know another stop-me-in-my-tracks kind of moment that gets me every time? Any time I fly. I love looking out the window, watching as the trees and the buildings and the cars grow smaller as we ascend. Watching as thousands of people shrink right before my eyes, until they are but mere pinpricks, millions of them. I am one of those pinpricks. Me? One of those pinpricks. My life? One teeny tiny speck on this planet for just a brief moment in time. It makes everything I think of as a "problem" seem small. It can definitely make a person feel insignificant, looking through that airplane window at all the other pinpricks, each with her own thoughts, feelings, faith, belief, family, friends, career, day-to-day life. 

And yet, God designed me specifically - different from everyone else in the world. Different from all the other pinpricks, going about their days out that airplane window. One with my own unique gifts and talents, my own personality, my own heritage, my own faith and beliefs, my own strengths and weaknesses, my own DNA, my own fingerprints. I am but a pinprick, and yet He created every single hair on my head, just as he uniquely did for all the other pinpricks. And so, another question:

How has God made you specifically? 

Here is (some of) what I know about me: 

I am a follower of Jesus. 

I am fiercely loyal and have an impassioned desire for justice. 

I am equal parts introvert and extrovert. 

I take my role as a momma very seriously and love being around, and with, my family. 

I am a partner to my hub, and him to me, and we work hard to work together. 

I set goals and follow through to achieve them. 

I am an organized planner who loves a routine and working ahead of deadlines. 

I am a caregiver who enjoys helping others, sometimes at my own expense. 

I strive to be a light to others, choosing to encourage rather than tear down.

I love cheering people on. 

I love to create - through writing, through baking, through crafting.

I take my health and fitness seriously, enjoy being active and feeling strong. 

I am not typically an initiator but will always show up for others. 

I am not a wallower. I believe it is action that changes things, not simply talking about them.

I am sensitive and can be overly critical, with both myself and with others.

I struggle to relinquish grudges, particularly when those I love have been hurt. 
I try to be open-minded but can also be quite staunch in my beliefs and opinions. 

I can be quick to judge. 

I can be quick to snap. 

I struggle with anxiety. 

I am not spontaneous.
I sometimes fall victim to the comparison trap. 

I try to control the world around me.

I am a broken sinner. 

I am a follower of Jesus. 

Good, bad, ugly. Truth, revealed. But, it is me. And I was created in this specific way for a specific reason, one that only God ultimately knows. So, what do I know? I know that He wants me to know Him; to grow in Him, through Him, with Him, and for Him; and then to go forward in spreading the gospel. 

The same goes for you. That list of mine up there? That combination of traits (and others not listed) is what makes me, me. Yours will be different than mine, specifically and uniquely as God designed. And yet, H created us all with one sole purpose: to love each other and love Jesus. 

So...What does God think about when He thinks about you? 

And one more, this one from me: Are you using what makes you, you, to further His kingdom and pursue the ultimate purpose for your life? There has only ever been, and will only ever be, one you. <3

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14